Schistosomiasis and Molluscacides

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Abstract
INTRODUCTION The control of schistosomiasis is one of the important problems in modern tropical medicine. An obvious method of combating the disease is to find practical molluscacides to eliminate the snails that serve as intermediate hosts. This approach is of particular interest to the Armed Forces because men operating through an endemic area are very apt to become infected. For this purpose it is important to have a method of control that quickly reduces the intermediate host population to a point where exposure to cercariae is reduced to a minimum. Under these circumstances one does not often have to consider the repopulation of the snail colonies, elimination of reservoir hosts, treatment of local cases in man, etc. In 1944 and 1945 American troops had their first experience with schistosomiasis japonica in the Leyte campaign. Up to that time copper salts, especially copper sulphate and copper carbonate, were considered the most effective agents for use on aquatic snails.