Revealing bovine schistosomiasis in Malawi: Connecting human and hybrid schistosomes within cattle.

In Malawi, the putative origin of a newly described - hybrid human schistosome was assessed upon a seminal molecular parasitological survey of cattle. Using miracidia hatch test (MHT) and carcass inspection at slaughter, mean prevalence of bovine schistosomiasis was 49.1% (95% CI: 43.7-54.6%) and 10.3% (95% CI: 6.0-16.2%) respectively, though significant spatial heterogeneity was noted. Approximately 2.0% of infected cattle, and only those from Mangochi District, shed - and/or in faeces. To quantify schistosome (re)infection dynamics, where a - hybrid was present, we undertook a novel pilot GPS-datalogging sub-study within a specific herd of cattle ( = 8) on the Lake Malawi shoreline, alongside a praziquantel (40 mg/kg) treatment efficacy spot check. At sub-study baseline, all GPS-tagged cattle had proven daily water contact with the lake. Each animal was patently infected upon MHT, with older animals shedding less miracidia. At one month review, whilst parasitological cure was 100.0%, from six weeks onwards, (re)infection was first noted in the youngest animal. By three-month review, all animals were patently (re)infected though only miracidia of were recovered, albeit in much lower numbers. To conclude, infection with is particularly common in cattle and demonstrates a previously cryptic burden of bovine schistosomiasis. Within Mangochi District, bovine transmission of both - hybrids and are now incriminated, with unequivocal evidence of contemporary zoonotic spill-over. Future control of urogenital schistosomiasis here in the southern region needs to develop, then successfully integrate, a One Health approach with appropriate mitigating strategies to reduce and/or contain bovine schistosomiasis transmission.