Interspecific competition between freshwater snails of medical importance: A Venezuelan example
Résumé
Lake Valencia is located in the centre of the endemic area of the intestinal schistosimiasis in Venezuela. The dominance of two pulmonate species, Biomphalaria glabrata and B. prona., was observed in the lake. Both species are strongly associated with two distinct types of habitats suggesting that competition is occurring between these two species. B. glabrata and B. prona play the role of intermediate hosts of schistosomes in Venezuela. At the present time, parasite transmission is not occurring in the lake but the planning of important development programmes represents a risk of creation of active schistosomiasis foci. The knowledge of the importance and distribution of the snail host populations is therefore essential and must be taken into account for developing future control strategies. © 2001 Académie des sciences/Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS.
Mots clés
controlled study
nonhuman
article
lake ecosystem
fresh water
lake
snail
Gastropoda
Basommatophora
Biomphalaria
Biomphalaria glabrata
Biomphalaria prona
Competition
endemic disease
Freshwater snails
intermediate host
interspecific competition
Lake Valencia
parasite control
parasite transmission
risk
Schistosoma
Schistosomiasis
species
Valencia
Venezuela