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Introgression in Lake Malaŵi: Increasing the Threat of Human Urogenital Schistosomiasis?

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Abstract

For the last 15 years, we have studied the relationships among cichlid snail-eating fishes, intermediate snail-host density, and the prevalence of human infection of Schistosoma haematobium in Lake Malaŵi and concluded that the increase of human infection is correlated with the decrease in snail-eating fishes in the shallow waters of the lake. We postulated that a strain of S. haematobium from other parts of Africa, which was introduced into the Cape Maclear region of Lake Malaŵi by tourists, was compatible with Bulinus nyassanus—which is a close relative of B. truncatus, and interbred with the indigenous strain of S. haematobium, which ultimately produced via introgression a strain that can use both B. globosus and B. nyassanus as intermediate hosts. This actively evolving situation involving intermediate snail–host switching and decline of Trematocranus placodon, a natural cichlid snail predator, will impact on transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis within the local communities and on tourists who visit Lake Malaŵi.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by the NSF/NIH joint program in ecology of infectious diseases (DEB-0224958), permitting us to collect data for this article.

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Correspondence to Jay R. Stauffer Jr..

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Stauffer, J.R., Madsen, H. & Rollinson, D. Introgression in Lake Malaŵi: Increasing the Threat of Human Urogenital Schistosomiasis?. EcoHealth 11, 251–254 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-013-0882-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-013-0882-y

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