Culture of fecal indicator bacteria from snail intestinal tubes as a tool for assessing the risk of Opisthorchis viverrini infection in Bithynia snail habitat.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Like many trematodes of human health significance, the carcinogenic liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, is spread via fecal contamination of snail habitat. Methods for assessing snail exposure to fecal waste can improve our ability to identify snail infection hotspots and potential sources of snail infections. We evaluated the feasibility of culturing fecal indicator bacteria from Bithynia snail intestinal tubes as a method for assessing snail exposure to fecal waste. Snails and water samples were collected from a site with a historically high prevalence of O. viverrini infected snails ("hotspot" site) and a site with historically no infected snails ("non-hotspot" site) on two sampling days. Snails were tested for O. viverrini and a stratified random sample of snails fr

SUBMITTER: Nawrocki CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6354346 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature