Distribution pattern of the snail intermediate host of schistosomiasis japonica in the Poyang Lake region of China

Background:With the closure of the Three Gorges Dam in 2003 the hydrology of Poyang Lake was altered dramatically leading to significant changes in the environment.In order to assess the impact on schistosomiasis this study assessed the spatial and temporal patterns of the snail intermediate host,Oncomelania hupensis in the Poyang Lake tributaries.The results of the study have important implications for future snail control strategies leading to disease elimination.Methods:The marshland area surrounding Poyang Lake was divided randomly into 200×200 m vector grids using ArcGIS software,and the surveyed grids were randomly selected by the software.The snail survey was conducted in each selected grid using a survey frame of 50×50 m with one sideline of each grid serving as the starting line.No less than ten frames were used in each surveyed grid with Global Positioning System(GPS)recordings for each.All snails in each frame were collected to determine infection status by microscopy.Altitude data for all frames were extracted from a lake bottom topographic map in order to analyze the average altitude.All snail survey data were collected and statistically analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software in order to determine the difference of the percentage of frames with living snails and mean density of living snails in different regions of Poyang Lake.The altitude of the snail-infested marshlands and snail dens were subsequently identified.Results:A total of 1159 potential snail sampling grids were surveyed,of which 15231 frames(0.1 m2/frame)were investigated.1241 frames had live Oncomelania snails corresponding to 8.15%of the total number of frames.The mean density of living snails was 0.463/0.1 m2 with a maximum of 57 snails per frame.The percent of frames with snails in the southern sector(8.13%)of Poyang Lake did not differ statistically from the north(8.21%).However,the mean density of live snails in the northern sector(0.164/0.1 m2)of the lake was statistically higher(F=6.727;P=0.010)than the south(0.141/0.1 m2).In the south of the lake,the elevation of snail-inhabited marshland ranged between 11-16 m,and could be further subdivided into two snail-concentrated belts at 12-13 m of elevation and 15-16 m of elevation respectively.In the north of the lake,the elevation of snail-inhabited marshland ranged between 9-16 m with the elevation of 12-14 m being the snail-concentrated zone.Conclusions:The elevation of snail-infested marshlands in the Poyang Lake region ranged from 9 to 16 m.The snail distribution and habitat has moved north of the lake and to a lower altitude due to changes in the water level post dam closure.Based on the current geological features of the snail habitant focused mollusciciding should occur in snail dense northern regions with frequent bovine and human traffic.Targeting these identified'hotspots'of transmission will assist in elimination efforts.

Impact of continuous low water stage on the breeding environment of Oncomelania hupensis: a case study of Poyang Lake area in China

Background Oncomelania hupensis is the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum and plays a decisive role in its transmission.The variation of water level greatly affects the reproduction and growth of snails.Therefore,in this paper,we analyze the variations of water level in the Poyang Lake region from 1993 to 2016 combined with satellite imagery to elucidate the evolution of the snail breeding environment.Methods By employing remote sensing data from 1993 to 2016(April–June and September–November),the vegetation area of Poyang Lake and the vegetation area at different elevations were extracted and calculated.Moreover,the average daily water level data from the four hydrological stations(Hukou station,Xingzi station,Tangyin station and Kangshan station)which represent the typical state of Poyang Lake were collected from 1993 to 2016.The variance of the monthly mean water level,inundation time and the average area were analyzed by variance to find a significance level ofα=0.05.Results According to hydrological data before and after 2003,the average water level after 2003 is significantly lower than that before 2003 in Poyang Lake.After 2003,the time of inundateing the snail breeding period was later in April to June than that before 2003,while the time of wate-falling stage in September to November moved forward after 2003 than before 2003.Of them,the lowest water level affecting the breeding and growing period of O.hupensis in the northern part of Poyang Lake decreased from 11 m to 9 m.After 2003,the expansion of meadow area in the north part of Poyang Lake was mainly concentrated in the elevation of 9–11 m,and the newly increased infested-meadow in the lake area was mainly concentrated in the north part of Poyang Lake.Conclusions By comparing the change of water level characteristics in different parts of the Poyang Lake area as well as changes in meadow area before and after 2003,it is found that the water level changes mainly affect the snail breeding area in the northern part of Poyang Lake.The results are helpful for improving scientific measures for snail control in Jiangxi Province.This approach could also be applicible to Dongting Lake area and other lake areas affected by water level changes and can bring significant guidance for snail control in lake areas.