Confirmation of Galba truncatula as an intermediate host snail for Calicophoron daubneyi in Great Britain, with evidence of alternative snail species hosting Fasciola hepatica

Abstract

BackgroundFasciola hepatica is a highly prevalent parasite infecting livestock in Great Britain, while Calicophoron daubneyi is an emerging parasite within the GB livestock industry. Both F. hepatica and C. daubneyi require an intermediate host snail to complete their life-cycles and infect ruminants; however, there has been no confirmation of the intermediate host of C. daubneyi in GB, while there are questions regarding alternative host snails to Galba truncatula for F. hepatica. In this study, PCR was used to identify C. daubneyi hosting snail species on Welsh pastures and to identify any alternative snail species hosting F. hepatica.FindingsTwo hundred and sixty four snails were collected between May-September 2015 from six farms in mid-Wales known to have livestock infected with C. daubneyi and F. hepatica. Fifteen out of 134 G. truncatula were found positive for C. daubneyi, one of which was also positive for F. hepatica. Three snail species were found positive for F. hepatica [18/134 G. truncatula, 13/52 Radix balthica, and 3/78 Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snail)], but no evidence of C. daubneyi infection in the latter two species was found.ConclusionThis study indicates that G. truncatula is a host for C. daubneyi in GB. Galba truncatula is also an established host of F. hepatica, and interactions between both species at intermediate host level could potentially occur. Radix balthica and P. antipodarum were found positive for F. hepatica but not C. daubneyi. This could indicate a role for alternative snail species other than G. truncatula in infecting pastures with F. hepatica in GB.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-1271-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transmission of Calicophoron daubneyi and Fasciola hepatica in Galicia (Spain): Temporal follow-up in the intermediate and definitive hosts

“…Nevertheless, Abrous et al [15] showed that the role of this snail species as a transmitter was very limited (prevalence very low or nil) when G. truncatula was also present in the same habitat. Our findings in relation to F. hepatica do not appear to be consistent with those of Relf et al [17] and Jones et al [18], who detected parasite DNA in a high proportion of R. peregra snails in Ireland (66 out of 167) and the UK (13 out of 52). Nevertheless, the presence of live F. hepatica larvae in these snails was not definitely demonstrated (i.e.…”

“…According to the published data, similar or even lower prevalence rates are generally observed for infections caused by a great variety of trematode species, including C. daubneyi and F. hepatica , in lymnaeid populations in natural ecosystems [14, 16, 18, 30]. In a retrospective study carried out in Central France over a 12-year period, differences in the prevalence of C. daubneyi infection were observed in the definitive and intermediate hosts.…”

“…The involvement of species other than G. truncatula in the transmission of both trematodes in this region can therefore be ruled out. In the UK, Jones et al [18] also found that C. daubneyi infected G. truncatula but not R. balthica or P. antipodarum collected from the same habitats. Another lymnaeid snail, Lymnaea glabra , has also been reported to be a natural host for C. daubneyi and F. hepatica in France [21, 28].…”

“…Many studies have confirmed that Galba ( Galba ) truncatula (Müller, 1774) is the main transmitter of F. hepatica within Europe [14–16], although some recent data show that other lymnaeid snail species can participate in the life-cycle [17, 18]. Although the snail G. truncatula can act as an IH for C. daubneyi [18–20], the involvement of other gastropod species in the life-cycle of this parasite has scarcely been studied [21].…”

“…Although the snail G. truncatula can act as an IH for C. daubneyi [18–20], the involvement of other gastropod species in the life-cycle of this parasite has scarcely been studied [21]. In view of the key role of lymnaeid snails in the life-cycle of trematodes of medical and veterinary importance, present knowledge of the dynamics of snail populations and parasite-host interactions is insufficient.…”