Schistosomiasis is a major occupational health problem in rural Egypt. This endemic parasitic infestation causes problems that range in severity from anaemia to renal failure and death. Women can m...

Can women make a difference in preventing schistosomiasis? The invisible power!

Schistosomiasis is still the most common occupational health problem of rural workers in Egypt. The use of molluscicides, either chemical or biological, and environmental changing are the most successful methods of snail control. The new trend in Schistosoma control programs is to study the ecological factors that attract miracidium Schistosoma specific snails, to emphasizing to find out new environmental safe control methods. Since Schistosoma worms do not make fatty acids de novo, they require host lipids for survival and to complete their life cycle. Discriminate analysis of the estimated free fatty acids was done in this study in Biomphalaria alexandrina, Biomphalaria glabrata, and Bulinus truncatus, viz. Lymnaea truncatula and Physa acuta (Schistosoma intermediate and non-intermediate respectively). With the objective of determination of the biochemical difference that attract the infestation of Schistosoma miracidium to the target snails, as a step of the new control trends. Caprylic acid (C8:0), and Oleic acid (C18:1) are significantly lower in the tissues of Schistosoma intermediate snails compared to the non-intermediate snails. While, Capric acid (C10:0), Margaric acid (C17:0), and Lenoleic acid (C18:2) of the intermediate snails are significantly higher than that of non-intermediate snails. The percent of correct medical classification of snails are more than 80% according to Caprylic acid, Margaric acid, and Lenoleic acid, the other 15 fatty acids are less than 80%. These three free fatty acids could be chemoattractive of Schistosoma miracidium, and could be used as safe environmental control compounds, which needs further research.

A Saad

Papers

Discriminant analysis of free fatty acids of some Egyptian snails as a step for schistosomiasis control: new trends.