Transmission of Urogenital Schistosomiasis in Owena Reservoir Area, Ondo State Nigeria: Nexus Between Different Pathogenic Host Factors

Abstract

A total of 25,482 snails, comprising 4,258 (16.7%) Bulinusglobosus; 213 (0.8%) Bulinustruncatus; 4,040 (15.9%) Bulinusforskalii; 4,770 (18.7%) Biomphalariapfeifferi; 6,024 (23.6%) Melanoidestuberculata; 1,730 (6.8%) Potadomafreethi; and 4,447 (17.5%) Pilaovata were collected over a period of 24 months during monthly site visits to Owena Reservoir Area which comprises of three communities namely Owena, Baiken and Kajola in Ondo East Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria. The abundance of each of the snail species varied significantly (p<0.05), spatially, seasonally, and annually throughout the period under study. The established intermediate snail host species were Bulinusglobosus and Bulinustruncatus for Schistosomahematobium transmission. The overall infection rate among Bulinusglobosus was 3.2% as 136 snails were found to shed cercariae out of 4,258 collected and examined for trematode infection. This occurred at site 4 located in the Kajola community. None of the Bulinustruncatus species was found to shed cercariae.