Planorbarius metidjensis is a freshwater lung snail. [2]
Experiments confirmed it to be a host of the Schistosoma parasites, while the Bulinus truncatus freshwater snail has been known much longer as a carrier of schistosomiasis.[3]
Description
The snail measures 8 mm x 16 to 18 mm. The shell is light yellowish, while the periostracum is brown, reddish or greenish. The body is nearly black with a grey foot and tentacles.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6]
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.[7]
Distribution and habitat
European range according to Francisco Welter-Schultes (2012)
[8]
The snail occurs in southwestern Morocco[3] as well as in Algarve (Portugal) and Salamanca (Spain).[6]
In a 2007 study carried out in Morocco, the snail was found in larger altitudes, and not in man-made water bodies like canals and artificial lakes. It tolerated a wide range of electrical conductivities (120 to 3650 microsieverts/cm) and up to 1.1 grams of chlorides per liter. It was often found together with Ancylus fluviatilis river snails.[3]
References
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^ Probably Annals of Natural History, vol. ii. p. 250
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^ MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Planorbarius metidjensis (Forbes, 1838). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1062886 on 2022-06-16
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^ a b c Yacoubi, B (2007-03-06). "Habitats of Bulinus truncatus and Planorbarius metidjensis, the intermediate hosts of urinary schistosomosis, under a semiarid or an arid clima". Parasitology Research. 101: 311–316. doi:10.1007/s00436-007-0500-4.
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^ "Planorbarius metidjensis (Forbes, 1838)". AnimalBase. Göttingen University, Germany. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
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^ Yacoubi, B (2020-03-22). "Étude rétrospective sur Planorbarius metidjensis et son rôle comme hôte intermédiaire potentiel dans la transmission de Schistosoma haematobium dans la région du Souss-Massa (Maroc)" [A Retrospective Study on Planorbarius metidjensis and Its Role as a Potential Intermediate Host in the Transmission of Schistosoma haematobium in the Souss-Massa Region (Morocco)]. Bulletin de la Société de Pathologie Exotique (in French): 113:123-129. doi:10.3166/bspe-2020-0111.
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^ a b Silva, ML (1977-01-01). "Susceptibility of Planorbarius metidjensis from Portugal and Spain to Schistosoma bovis from Salamanca, Spain". Malacologia. 16 (1): 251–254. PMID 904368.
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^ Kincaid-Smith, Julien (2021-12-03). "Morphological and genomic characterisation of the Schistosoma hybrid infecting humans in Europe reveals admixture between Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis". PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 15 (12). doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0010062.
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^ Welter-Schultes, Francisco (2012). European non-marine molluscs, a guide for species identification. Planet Poster. ISBN 978-3-933922-75-5.
- Brown D.S. (1994). Freshwater snails of Africa and their medical importance, 2nd edition. London: Taylor and Francis, 607 p.
page(s): 217, fig. 101c