Compatibility between Oncomelania hupensis and different isolates of Schistosoma japonicum in China

Abstract

Oncomelania hupensis from six localities were used for infection with different isolates of Schistosoma japonicum in the mainland of China, ie Anhui in the east, Hubei in the center, Guangxi in the south, Sichuan in the West, Yunnan in the southwest and Fujian in the southeast. Snails from Anhui and Hubei were readily infected with the local isolate of S. japonicum and cross infection also took place readily between the snails and the schistosomes from these two places. Snails from Sichuan and Yunnan were refractory to infection with schistosome isolates from Hubei and Anhui, but the isolates from Sichuan and Yunnan were able to develop in snails from Hubei and Anhui. Though the Guangxi isolate developed readily in both Anhui and Guangxi snails, the average precercarial period in the former was significantly longer than in the latter. None of the other snails from Sichuan, Yunnan and Fujian became infected. On the other hand, snails from Guangxi infected with Anhui parasites also had a longer precercarial period than that in Anhui snails. Snails from Fujian were readily infected with the isolates from Anhui and Yunnan. The present results suggest that there might be different geographic strains of S. japonicum and their Oncomelania snail hosts in the mainland of China.