The population genetic structure of Biomphalaria choanomphala in Lake Victoria, East Africa: implications for schistosomiasis transmission

Authors

Claire J. Standley, George Washington UniversityFollow
Sara L. Goodacre, University of Nottingham
Christopher M. Wade, University of Nottingham
J. Russell Stothard, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

11-19-2014

Journal

Parasites and Vectors

Volume

7

Inclusive Pages

Article number 524

DOI

10.1186/s13071-014-0524-4

Keywords

Biomphalaria--genetics; Lakes; Schistosomiasis--epidemiology; Schistosomiasis--transmission

Abstract

Background

The freshwater snail Biomphalaria acts as the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, a globally important human parasite. Understanding the population structure of intermediate host species can elucidate transmission dynamics and assist in developing appropriate control methods.

Methods

We examined levels of population genetic structure and diversity in 29 populations of Biomphalaria choanomphala collected around the shoreline of Lake Victoria in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where S. mansoni is hyper-endemic. Molecular markers were utilized to estimate the degree to which snail populations are genetically differentiated from one another.

Results

High levels of snail genetic diversity were found coupled with evidence of geographically-determined population structure but low levels of local inbreeding. The data are consistent with an effect of schistosome infection on population structure of intermediate host snails, but other factors, such as habitat and historical demographic changes, could also be important determinants of the degree of population genetic structure in Biomphalaria choanomphala.

Conclusions

The low stratification of populations and high genetic diversity indicates potentially less local compatibility with intermediate snail populations than previously theorized, and highlights the importance of coordinated parasite control strategies across the region.

Comments

Reproduced with permission of BioMed Central. Parasites and Vectors.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

APA Citation

Standley, C.J., Goodacre, S.L., Wade, C.M., Stothard, J.R. (2014). The population genetic structure of Biomphalaria choanomphala in Lake Victoria, East Africa: implications for schistosomiasis transmission. Parasites and Vectors, 7:524. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-014-0524-4

Peer Reviewed

1

Open Access

1