Nwoko Onyekachi Esther, Manyangadze Tawanda, Chimbari Moses John
Discipline of Public Health Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4000, South Africa.
Geography Department, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Bindura University of Science Education, Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe.
Heliyon. 2022 Dec 21;9(2):e12463. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12463. eCollection 2023 Feb.
This study investigated the spatial distribution, abundance, and infection rates of human schistosome-transmitting snails and related physicochemical parameters and environmental factors in 11 districts in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa, from December 2020-February 2021. Snail sampling was carried out in 128 sites by two people for 15 min using scooping and handpicking methods. Geographical information system (GIS) was used to map surveyed sites. In situ measurements of physicochemical parameters were recorded, while remote sensing was used to obtain measurements for climatic factors required to achieve the study's objective. Cercarial shedding and snail-crushing methods were used to detect snail infections. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test the differences in snail abundance among snail species, districts, and habitat types. A negative binomial generalized linear mixed model was used to identify the physicochemical parameters and environmental factors influencing the abundance of snail species. A total of 734 human schistosome-transmitting snails were collected. were significantly more abundant (n = 488) and widely distributed (found in 27 sites) compared to (n = 246) found in 8 sites. and had infection rates of 3.89% and 2.44%, respectively. Dissolved oxygen and normalized difference vegetation index showed a statistically positive relationship, while normalized difference wetness index showed a statistically negative relationship with the abundance of . However, there was no statistically significant relationship between abundance, physicochemical parameters, and climatic factors. Our study described the current distribution, abundance, and infection status of human schistosome-transmitting snails in KZN province, which will contribute to informing control measure policies for schistosomiasis.
本研究于2020年12月至2021年2月对南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省（KZN）11个区的人类血吸虫传播螺类的空间分布、丰度和感染率以及相关理化参数和环境因素进行了调查。由两人在128个地点采用捞取和手工挑选的方法进行15分钟的螺类采样。利用地理信息系统（GIS）绘制调查地点的地图。记录理化参数的现场测量值，同时利用遥感获取实现研究目标所需的气候因素测量值。采用尾蚴逸出法和压碎螺类法检测螺类感染情况。使用Kruskal-Wallis检验来检验不同螺类物种、地区和栖息地类型之间螺类丰度的差异。采用负二项广义线性混合模型来确定影响螺类物种丰度的理化参数和环境因素。共采集到了734只人类血吸虫传播螺类。与在8个地点发现的246只相比，[此处原文缺失具体螺类名称]明显更为丰富（n = 488）且分布广泛（在27个地点发现）。[此处原文缺失具体螺类名称]和[此处原文缺失具体螺类名称]的感染率分别为3.89%和2.44%。溶解氧和归一化植被指数与[此处原文缺失具体螺类名称]的丰度呈统计学上的正相关，而归一化湿度指数与[此处原文缺失具体螺类名称]的丰度呈统计学上的负相关。然而，[此处原文缺失具体螺类名称]的丰度、理化参数和气候因素之间没有统计学上的显著关系。我们的研究描述了KZN省人类血吸虫传播螺类的当前分布、丰度和感染状况，这将有助于为血吸虫病的控制措施政策提供信息。
