Freshwater pulmonate snails and their potential role as trematode intermediate host in a cercarial dermatitis outbreak in Southern Thailand

By

Wongpim, Thanaporn
Komsuwan, Jirayus
Janmanee, Chanyanuch
Thongchot, Piyawan
Limsampan, Sukhonta
Wichiannarat, Nattarinee
Chaowatut, Wiyada
Suwanrat, Saranphat
Dechruksa, Wivitchuta
Veeravechsukij, Nuanpan
Glaubrecht, Matthias
Krailas, Duangduen

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-9-26

Original Publication

Evolutionary systematics

Volume

7

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

293--315

Subjects

cercariae , Snail intermediate host , Trematode infection

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Hamburg Centrum für Naturkunde (CeNak) 2017-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.7.107847

 

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the pulmonate snail species in the vicinity of the cercarial dermatitis outbreak area in southern Thailand. In 2020, an outbreak of cercarial dermatitis was reported in Chana district, Songkhla Province, caused by the ruminant schistosome Schistosoma indicum and its snail intermediate host Indoplanorbis exustus. In the present study, 1,175 pulmonate snails were collected between October 2021 and October 2022 from five provinces covering 34 locations in southern Thailand. Seven pulmonate snail species were identified based on shell morphology, including Amerianna carinata, Gyraulus bakeri, G. convexiusculus, G. hubendicki, Physella acuta, Indoplanorbis exustus, and Radix rubiginosa. Among these snails, eight species, and five types of cercariae were identified, viz. type (i) Echinostome cercariae consisted of Echinoparyphium recurvatum, Echinostoma spiniferum, and E. revolutum, type (ii) Brevifurcate-apharyngeate cercariae consisted of Schistosoma indicum and S. spindale, type (iii) Brevifurcate-pharyngeate-clinostomatoid-cercariae was represented by Clinostomum giganticum, type (iv) Longifurcate–pharyngeate cercariae (strigea cercaria) was Diplostomum baeri eucaliae, and type (v) Ophthalmoxiphidiocercaria. Among the seven pulmonated snail species, three were found to be infected, viz. G. convexiusculus, I. exustus, and R. rubiginosa, with infection rates of 1.14% (2/176), 0.25% (2/802), and 4.02% (7/174), respectively.