Growth, Laying, and Survival Rates of the Galba truncatula Snails Infected with Fasciola hepatica

Fasciolosis is one of the most important parasitic diseases in ruminants in Algeria, of which the intermediate host is Galba truncatula (G. truncatula) snail. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Fasciola sp. in naturally infected G. truncatula snails using multiplex PCR. Secondly, it was targeted toward examining the rate of growth, survival, and laying of the snails in experimental conditions during 6 weeks of rearing in three tanks. This study was conducted in two different regions of Algeria, namely El Tarf and Constantine. The investigated tanks 1, 2, and 3 consisted of 12 (size 3-4 mm), 30 (size 5-6 mm), and 30 (size 7-8 mm) snails, respectively. Fasciola sp. DNA was detected in 33.33% of G. truncatula snails (25% in Constantine and 42.85% in El Tarf). The total survival rates in the first, second, and third tanks were 50%, 43.3%, and 40%, respectively. The obtained results indicated that the growth rate of the snail depended on its initial size (the smaller the initial size, the higher the weekly growth rate). The total growth rates were 3, 1.7, and 1.1 mm in tanks 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The use of multiplex PCR indicated a relatively high level of infestation of the snails by Fasciola sp. Snails larger than 7 mm had the highest lay rate. Further studies are needed to investigate other snails that may be infested with Fasciola sp.