Information from the abstract
Fish-borne zoonotic trematodes remain important food-borne parasitic infections in East and Southeast Asia, where transmission depends on snail intermediate hosts in freshwater ecosystems. Surveillance of cercarial infections in freshwater snails is therefore essential for understanding local transmission dynamics and epidemiological risk. This study investigated cercarial infections in thiarid snails from southern Thailand, with emphasis on zoonotic heterophyids and transmission ecology. A total of 566 thiarid snails were examined, of which Melanoides tuberculata was the dominant species ( n = 476). Cercarial infections were detected exclusively in M. tuberculata (10/476; 2.1%). Three trematode species were identified: parapleurolophocercous cercariae of Heterophyes heterophyes and Haplorchis pumilio, and virgulate xiphidiocercariae of Loxogenes liberum. Species identification was achieved through integrated morphological examination and Internal transcript spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence analysis, which confirmed all three taxa. H. heterophyes and H. pumilio each infected a different individual snail (0.2%), with no co-infections observed, whereas L. liberum was detected in eight snails (1.7%). This study represents the first molecularly confirmed record of H. heterophyes from the freshwater thiarid snail M. tuberculata in Thailand. The findings expand the known ecological host range of this medically important heterophyid beyond its traditionally recognized brackish-water transmission system and suggest that freshwater transmission pathways may occur under suitable environmental conditions. The study further demonstrates the value of combining morphology with molecular tools for accurate identification of cercariae and highlights the importance of continued surveillance of snail-borne trematodes in endemic freshwater ecosystems.
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Related topics: Mollusks and Parasites Studies · Parasite Biology and Host Interactions · Parasitic infections in humans and animals
Thai researcher and institutional participation
Jirayus Komsuwan · Nuanpan Veeravechsukij · Wivitchuta Dechruksa · Kitja Apiraksena · Duangduen Krailas · Silpakorn University
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