Badger L I, Oyerinde J P
Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996 Dec;90(6):617-20. doi: 10.1080/00034983.1996.11813091.
Following exposure to the miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni, Biomphalaria pfeifferi were induced to aestivate immediately ('0 h') or on days 7, 14 or 21 post-infection and then re-activated at various times. The proportions of snails found to be alive at weekly intervals after re-activation were found to be related to the length of time the snails had spent between infection and aestivation (I-A), varying from 100% (0 h) to 5% (21 days). The mean numbers of cercariae produced by the snails after re-activation also varied with I-A, being highest in those that aestivated immediately post-infection, and cercarial development was delayed by prolonged desiccation of the infected snails, the intra-molluscan development of S. mansoni is affected by the aestivation of the snail host.
