A Survey and Ecological Risk Assessment of Niclosamide and Its Degradation Intermediate in Wucheng Waters within Poyang Lake Basin, China

Abstract

Long-term use of niclosamide (NCL) in schistosomiasis control areas may have a certain impact on the regional ecological environment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the NCL residue and its possible degradation intermediates in the Wucheng water in the Poyang Lake Basin of China, and assess its ecological risks. Water samples were collected at twelve sites every month from July 2017 to June 2018, the collected samples were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by HPLC and HPLC/MS techniques, and regional ecotoxicological risks were estimated by calculating risk quotients (RQ). The results indicated that due to the use of NCL, the regional water environment contained NCL, 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline, 5-chlorosalicylic acid and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, etc, and their concentrations were 0.000~0.028 μg/L, 0.000~0.015 μg/L, 0.000~0.019 μg/L, below detectable limit, respectively. The mixed risk quotient (MRQ) for sensitive aquatic organisms algae, invertebrates and fish was 0.000~0.707, 0.000~0.864, 0.000~0.935, respectively. These findings demonstrated that the mixture of NCL residues and their intermediates has a moderate risk to sensitive aquatic organisms such as algae, invertebrates and fish in Wucheng waters. In order to protect the regional water environment, it is necessary to strengthen the supervision and management work after the application of NCL drugs.

Ecosystem Links: Macrophytes, Snail Preferences, and Trematode Transmission in Man-Made Water Bodies

“…Additionally, due to the potential zoonotic transmission and the possible role of animals as reservoirs, livestock farms, and wildlife sanctuaries may also be targeted for snail and trematode control. However, most molluscicides used today are not ‘eco-friendly’ as they do not selectively eradicate snails but also harm other aquatic life and persist in the environment (Dai et al, 2008; Keighley et al, 2021; Yang et al, 2020).…”

Multi-strain compatibility polymorphism between a parasite and its snail host, a neglected vector of schistosomiasis in Africa

“…Currently, snail control typically consists of applying molluscicides such as niclosamide which are indiscriminately toxic and not very tractable in large water bodies as snails rapidly recolonize from nearby areas ( Yang et al., 2020 ; Zhu et al., 2022 ). Additionally, recent studies suggest that unless molluscicide treatment is extensive and continuous, a schistosome boom is predicted to occur as snails recolonize with little competition for resources ( Malishev & Civitello, 2019 ; Civitello et al., 2022 ).…”