Planorbarius metidjensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Planorbarius metidjensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Superorder: | Hygrophila |
| Family: | Planorbidae |
| Subfamily: | Planorbinae |
| Tribe: | Coretini |
| Genus: | Planorbarius |
| Species: | P. metidjensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Planorbarius metidjensis | |
 | |
| European range according to Francisco Welter-Schultes (2012)[2] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Planorbarius metidjensis is a species of freshwater lung snail.[3]
Experiments confirmed it to be a host of Schistosoma parasites, although the freshwater snail Bulinus truncatus has been known much longer as a carrier of schistosomiasis.[4]
The snail measures 8 mm (0.31 in) by 16 to 18 mm (0.63 to 0.71 in). The shell is light yellowish, while the periostracum is brown, reddish or greenish. The body is nearly black with a grey foot and tentacles.[5]
Schistosomiasis transmission
While P. metidjensis has been successfully infected with Schistosoma haematobium in the laboratory, in Morocco, no free-living infected snails have been found during a survey.[6] Likewise, in the laboratory, snail specimens from Portugal and Salamanca were found to be very susceptible to infections by Schistosoma bovis strains gathered from the Salamanca region, but the 1977 study urged a prevalence survey of free-living snails.[7]
In some areas, there are S. haematobium/S. bovis hybrids. P. metidjensis is immune to experimental infection with hybrid parasites collected in Corsica that contain 23% genetical material from S. bovis.[8]
