SNAIL CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR REDUCTION OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS TRANSMISSION

As intermediate hosts, molluscs play a major role in the transmission of schistosomes; they are the sites of an intense multiplication of pa rasites. Thus, snail control strategies are considered a priority for the reduction of schistosomiasis transmission. Here, Vinca Lardans and Colette Dissous review the efficacy of environmental management and t he use of molluscicides and biological agents to control snail populat ions. They then describe the development of diagnostic tests, based on the detection of parasite antigens or specific parasite DNA sequences in snail tissues, to detect the early infection of snails. Finally, t hey discuss progress in studying the molecular basis of susceptibility and resistance phenotypes, and the possible application of the geneti c manipulation of molluscs.