On African schistosomiasis

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Abstract
African schistosomiasis is due either to Schistosoma haematobium or to S. mansoni infection. Other terminal-spined forms such as capense, intercalatum, mattheei and bovis are regarded as, at the best, only subspp. of haematobium, Primates-mainly Cercopithecus aethiops and Papio spp. (baboons), and occasionally Cercocebus spp. are the main natural reservior hosts of human schistosomes inAfrica, although many other mammals, wild as well as laboratory raised, can be affected experimentally. Possibly domestic live-stock and the native antelopes may also serve as reservoir hosts. In Africa all schistosome spp. of importance are carried by planorbid snails. Haematobium is carried by Bulinus spp. and possibly by Planorbarius spp., while mansoni is carried by at least 2 subspp. of Biomphalaria alexandrina, Bulinus africanus is the main snail vector of haematobium in the humid tropical areas of Africa while B. truncatus acts in the drier and more temperate areas. B. forskalii is the vector in Mauritius. Methods of snail control through the use of molluscides have not been successful, and schistosomiasis is not as yet under complete control through attacks on the snail vectors. The main contribution of the paper lies in the careful taxonomic studies of the flukes involved and of the possible snail vectors.

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