Autochthonous Case of Schistosoma intercalatum from Equatorial Guinea

Natural Interactions betweenS. haematobiumandS. guineensisin the Republic of Benin

“…The major chronic health problems associated with schistosomiasis are mainly caused by eggs that are not removed from the body in feces or urine (depending on the schistosome location). Regarding the three last species, S. haematobium, S. guineensis, and S. intercalatum, more specifically, a review of their geographical distribution shows that while S. haematobium is distributed largely through Africa and Middle East, S. guineensis is known to have a historical restricted geographical range encompassing the Lower Guinea zone, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tomé [5–10], and S. intercalatum is strictly limited to the Democratic Republic of the Congo [5]; therefore, all the papers referring to S. intercalatum from areas out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be considered as referring to S. guineensis . However, it has been shown that S. guineensis is expanding its geographical distribution beyond its historical range, especially to West Africa.…”

Permissiveness of two African wild rodents, Mastomys huberti and Arvicanthis niloticus, to Schistosoma intercalatum : epidemiological consequences

“…Until the 1970s this disease had been established in the forest areas of Central and West Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Zaire). For a decade, S. intercalatum has extended its distribution toward new countries: Equatorial Guinea (Corachan et al 1987), Mali (Corachan et al 1992), Nigeria (Arene et al 1989), and SaÄ o Tome (Almeda et al 1994). However, in spite of the emergence of these new foci the distribution of S. intercalatum remains restricted as compared with that of the intermediate host.…”

Freshwater snails of São Tomé, with special reference to Bulinus forskalii (Ehrenberg), host of Schistosoma intercalatum

“…Despite its considerable area of some 930 km, only 3 species of freshwater gastropod are known to occur on Sgo Tome, even though extensive searches were stimulated by the finding in recent years of autochthonous foci of human schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma intercalatum Fisher (Gracio, 1988;Corachan et al, 1988: Romero et al, 1989. The intermediate host is a Bulinus found in streams and in artificial watercourses, most commonly in the north eastern and comparatively low-lying part of the island.…”