Transmission of Schistosoma haematobium in the town of Niamey, Niger
Labbo, R.; Ernould, J.C.; Djibrilla, A.; Sidiki, A.; Chippaux, J.P.
Bulletin de la Societe de Pathologie Exotique 96(3): 178-182
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-9085 PMID: 14582291 Document Number: 560333
Located in an area where Schistosoma haematobium is hyperendemic, the town of Niamey, in Niger, is a focus of hypoendemicity. The aim of the malacological follow-up studies undertaken over a one-year period was to determine the mollusc species present in the water bodies, the appreciation of the space-time distribution of the snail and find out the potential seasons of transmission. The investigation applied to 22 sites of transmission in the urban community. Four mollusc species (Bulinus truncatus, B. forskali, B. globosus and B. senegalensis) are collected. The first 3 species are present all the year long, with a peak of density in the dry season. The last species (B. senegalensis) is found only during the rainy season. B truncatus and B. senegalensis are the 2 naturally infested species. The main site of transmission is the river Niger. The ponds play a secondary role in the peripheral districts. The main intermediate host of S. haematobium is B. truncatus.