Abstract
Indoplanorbis exustus is the intermediate snail host of both Schistosoma nasale and S. spindale in Sri Lanka. Due to the similar morphology of the cercariae difficulties exist in identifying the species of schistosome infecting snails at transmission sites. Isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels of malate dehydrogenase, glucose phosphate isomerase, phosphoglucomutase and acid phosphatase has been carried out on extracts of cercariae and potentially useful diagnostic markers have been identified. Cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis has been used to separate two glucose phosphate isomerase phenotypes each of which appears to be diagnostic for one of the species. This simple electrophoretic technique has been used to identify schistosome infections in Indoplanorbis exustus collected at two transmission sites in Sri Lanka. Out of a total of 1,240 snails collected, 13 snails were shown to be infected with S. nasale, 19 with S. spindale and two snails were found to have mixed infections.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
De Bont, J., Van Aken, D., Vercruysse, J., Fransen, J., Southgate, V.R. & Rollinson, D. (1989) The prevalence and pathology of Schistosoma nasale Rao, 1933 in cattle in Sri Lanka. Parasitology, 98, 197–202.
De Bont, J., Vercruysse, J., Van Aken, D. Southgate, V.R., Rollinson, D. and Moncrieff, C. (1991a) The epidemiology of Schistosoma spindale Montgomery, 1906 in cattle in Sri Lanka. Parasitology, 102, 237–241.
De Bont, J., Vercruysse, J., Van Aken, D., Southgate, V.R. & Rollinson, D. (1991b) Studies of the relationships between Schistosoma nasale and S. spindale and their snail host Indoplanorbis exustus. Journal of Helminthology, 65, 1–7.
Dutt, S.C. (1967) Studies on Schistosoma nasale Rao, 1933.1. Morphology of the adults, egg and larval stages. Indian Journal of Veterinary Science, 37, 249–262.
Grunbaum, B.W. (1981) Handbook for forensic individualization of human blood and bloodstains. Göttingen: Sartorinus GmBH, 218 pp.
Kumar, V. & De Burbure, G. (1986) Schistosomes of animals and man in Asia. Helminthological Abstracts (Series A), 55, 469–480.
Mahon, R.J. & Shiff, C.J. (1978) Electrophoresis to distinguish Schistosoma haematobium and S. mattheei cercariae emerging from Bulinus snails. Journal of Parasitology, 64, 372–373.
Rao, M.A.N. (1934) A comparative study of Schistosoma spindalis, Montgomery, 1906 and Schistosoma nasalis n. sp. Indian Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, 4, 1–28.
Rollinson, D. & Southgate, V.R. (1985) Schistosome and snail populations: genetic variability and parasite transmission. In: Rollinson, D. & Anderson, R.M. (Eds) Linnean Society Symposium Series Volume 11. Ecology and genetics of host-parasite interactions. London: Academic Press, pp. 91–109.
Rollinson, D. & Southgate, V.R. (1987). The genus Schistosoma: a taxonomic appraisal. In: Rollinson, D. & Simpson, A.J.G. (Eds) The biology of schistosomes: from genes to latrines. London: Academic Press, pp. 1–49.
Sewell, R.B.S. (1922) Cercariae indicae. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 5, 401–441.
Soparker, M.B. (1921) The cercaria of Schistosomum spindalis (Montgomery). Indian Journal of Medical Research, 9, 1–22.
Southgate, V.R., Rollinson, D., De Bont, J., Vercruysse, J., Van Aken, D. & Spratt, J. (1990) Surface topography of the tegument of adult Schistosoma nasale Rao, 1933 from Sri Lanka. Systematic Parasitology, 16, 139–147.
Wright, C.A., Rollinson, D. & Goll, P.H. (1979a) Parasites in Bulinus senegalensis (Mollusca: Planorbidae) and their detection. Parasitology, 79, 95–105.
Wright, C.A., Southgate, V.R. & Ross, G.C. (1979b) Enzymes in Schistosoma intercalatum and the relative status of the lower Guinea and Zaire strains of the parasite. International Journal for Parasitology, 9, 523–528.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Bont, J., Vercruysse, J., Van Aken, D. et al. Use of enzyme electrophoresis for differentiating Schistosoma nasale and S. spindale infections of Indoplanorbis exustus in Sri Lanka. Syst Parasitol 20, 161–164 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009777
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009777