CGPH FACULTY: Robert Spear
DATE OF PUBLICATION: July 2011
REGION: Asia
REFERENCE: Spear RC. Internal versus external determinants of Schistosoma japonicum transmission in irrigated agricultural villages. J R Soc Interface. 2012 Feb 7;9(67):272-82. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0285. Epub 2011 Jul 13.”
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Currently schistosomiasis transmission has been suppressed to low levels in many historically endemic areas of China by widespread use of praziquantel in human and bovine populations and application of niclosamide for snail control. However, re-emergent transmission has signalled the need for sustainable interventions beyond these repeated chemical interventions. These findings suggest a priority effort to develop methods for measuring the free-swimming forms of the parasite in surface waters. This need is underscored by the high cost and limited sensitivity of current methods for diagnosing human infection and mounting evidence of the inadequacy of snail surveys to identify environments supporting low levels of transmission.
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