Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Yu, Ao
• Vannatta, J Trevor
• Gutierrez, Stephanie O
• Minchella, Dennis J
• Attwood, Stephen W.

Titel

Opportunity or catastrophe? effect of sea salt on host-parasite survival and reproduction

Ist Teil von

• PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2022-02, Vol.16 (2), p.e0009524-e0009524

Ort / Verlag

United States: Public Library of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Seawater intrusion associated with decreasing groundwater levels and rising seawater levels may affect freshwater species and their parasites. While brackish water certainly impacts freshwater systems globally, its impact on disease transmission is largely unknown. This study examined the effect of artificial seawater on host-parasite interactions using a freshwater snail host, Biomphalaria alexandrina, and the human trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni. To evaluate the impact of increasing salinity on disease transmission four variables were analyzed: snail survival, snail reproduction, infection prevalence, and the survival of the parasite infective stage (cercariae). We found a decrease in snail survival, snail egg mass production, and snail infection prevalence as salinity increases. However, cercarial survival peaked at an intermediate salinity value. Our results suggest that seawater intrusion into freshwaters has the potential to decrease schistosome transmission to humans.