Studies on the ecology of snails transmitting urinary schistosomiasis in Western Nigeria

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Abstract
The principal intermediate host of Schistosoma haematobium at Ibadan was Bulinus (Physopsis) globosus (Morelet), which was widely distributed both in temporary ponds and in slow-flowing streams. In the temporary ponds most snails were found in Oct. and Nov., and nearly all of them were killed when the ponds dried seasonally. In the streams most snails were found in Dec.-Feb., and the numbers decreased seasonally because many of the snails were washed away during the rainy season. B. (Bulinus) forskalii (Ehrenberg) was also widely distributed in temporary ponds but did not transmit schistosomes. Most infected B. globosus were found in all habitats between Oct. and April. Some specimens of B. globosus aestivated over the dry season. Those shedding cercariae invariably died, but a few with an immature infection could probably survive, the parasites remaining dormant until the pond refilled.