A baseline study of importance of bovines for human Schistosoma japonicum infections around Poyang Lake, China: villages studied and snail sampling strategy

• Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 66; no. 4; pp. 359 - 371
• Main Authors: Davis, GM, Wu, WP, Chen, HG, Liu, HY, Guo, JG, Lin, DD, Lu, SB, Williams, G, Sleigh, A, Feng, Z, McManus, DP
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lawrence, KS ASTMH 01.04.2002; Allen Press
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle - physiology; Cattle Diseases - parasitology; China - epidemiology; Diseases caused by trematodes; Ecosystem; Epidemiologic Methods; Fresh Water; Freshwater; Helminthic diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Information Systems; Medical sciences; Parasitic diseases; Poaceae; Rural Population; Satellite Communications; Schistosoma japonicum; Schistosomiases; Schistosomiasis japonica - epidemiology; Schistosomiasis japonica - parasitology; Schistosomiasis japonica - transmission; Schistosomiasis japonica - veterinary; Snails - parasitology; Snails - physiology; Tropical medicine; Asia; China; China, People's Rep., Hubei Prov., Yangtze R; China, People's Rep., Jiangxi Prov; Human; Bovine; Trematode disease; Transmission; Plathelmintha; Reservoir; Gastropoda; Parasitosis; Snail; Schistosoma japonicum; Helminthiasis; Trematoda; Infection; Schistosomiasis; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Geographic distribution; Helmintha; Artiodactyla; Invertebrata; Mollusca; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0002-9637; 1476-1645
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2002.66.359

An epidemiologic survey among four administrative villages around Poyang Lake, in Jiangxi Province, China (two experimental and two controls) is being conducted to determine if bovine infections are responsible for the persistence of human schistosomiasis transmission on Yangtze River marshlands. A previously published paper presented the experimental design and baseline data for humans and bovines. This paper presents basic data for the four villages using remote sensing, and baseline data for snails that includes geographic information systems and remote sensing technology to classify the areas of bovine grazing ranges and habitats suitable for snails. A new method for sampling Oncomelania snails in China is used to determine the distribution, density, and infection rates of snails throughout the grazing ranges from season to season over a four-year period. Hypothetically, treating bovines should reduce infection rates in snails to below the critical number necessary to maintain infections in man and bovines.