Schistosoma bovis in western Uganda

Abstract

During routine parasitological surveillance and monitoring activities within a National Control Programme for control of human schistosomiasis in Uganda, it was noted that cattle grazing in a water meadow immediately adjacent to Tonya primary school, where the prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis in children was in excess of 90%, were unusually emaciated. To test the hypothesis that there may have been an anthropozoonotic focus of Schistosoma mansoni within the local herd, a young female heifer, clearly emaciated and c. 8 months old, was slaughtered from which schistosome worms were later recovered by dissection. As female worms inspected by microscopy were not gravid, morphological identification proved inconclusive but analysis of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA sequences from these worms identified them as Schistosoma bovis Sonsino, 1876. This is the first substantiated report of S. bovis from Lake Albert, western Uganda. Further epidemiological surveys are needed to clarify the extent of bovine schistosomiasis within this region, particularly so since this lakeside plain has been earmarked as a future game reserve.

Modeling freshwater snail habitat suitability and areas of potential snail-borne disease transmission in Uganda

“…Not much is known about the epidemiology of the parasite in Uganda as no complete epidemiological survey has been conducted. The first substantiated report of S. bovis comes from Lake Albert, western Uganda (Stothard et al, 2004). This area overlaps with modeled suitable host snail habitats.…”

“…This area overlaps with modeled suitable host snail habitats. Further epidemiological surveys are needed to clarify the extent of bovine schistosomiasis, particularly since the lakeside plain where S. bovis was isolated has been earmarked for a future game reserve (Stothard et al, 2004).…”

An extensive burden of giardiasis associated with intestinal schistosomiasis and anaemia in school children on the shoreline of Lake Albert, Uganda

“…In parts of Uganda, for example, intestinal schistosomiasis is hyper-endemic along the shorelines of the Great Lakes and is particularly rife around Lake Albert [1][2][3] . Local aetiological factors include favourable freshwater snail habitats, poor local sanitation and hygiene, as well as, extensive levels of daily water contact by shoreline communities [4][5][6] . While an extensive burden of malaria is known [7][8][9][10] , the occurrence and extent of another waterborne, poverty-related disease, giardiasis, has yet to be investigated.…”

The burden, pattern and factors that contribute to periportal fibrosis in HIV-infected patients in an <i>S. mansoni</i> endemic rural Uganda

“…This test had been evaluated in Uganda and Kenya and was found to have high sensitivity and specificity especially in field studies. 5,6 All participants were then subjected to ultrasound scan of the liver to determine peri-portal fibrosis using the modified Niamey protocol to determine peri-portal fibrosis and its severity. 4 HBsAg testing was performed on all participants using a rapid one-step test for HBsAg (Eurostrip, Euromedic Equipment, Netherlands) following the manufacturer's instructions.…”