Permissiveness of two African wild rodents, Mastomys huberti and Arvicanthis niloticus, to Schistosoma intercalatum: epidemiological consequences.

The compatibility between Schistosoma intercalatum (Cameroon) and two wild rodents commonly found in Africa. Mastomys huberti (the multimammate mouse) and Arvicanthis niloticus (the Nile rat) was studied to determine their biological capacities to act as hosts for S. intercalatum. In both rodent species the general mean worm recovery was high (33 +/- 0.1% in M. huberti and 33.8 +/- 0.1% in A. niloticus) and worm mortality was very low from 6 to 20 weeks postinfection; parasite maturity was reached. The high number of released eggs as well as the viability and the infectivity of the miracidia to the snail vector showed that M. huberti and A. niloticus are very permissive to S. intercalatum and may act as hosts for the human disease.