Effect of six non-target snails on Schistosoma mansoni miracidial host finding and infection of Biomphalaria alexandrina under laboratory conditions.

Six snail species naturally associated with Biomphalaria alexandrina, the snail host of Schistosoma mansoni in Egypt, were tested under standard laboratory conditions, for impact on miracidial host findings and infection of the snail host. These snails are the prosobranchs Melanoides tuberculata, Cleopatra bulimoides, Bellamys unicolor and Lanistes carinatus, the pulmonates Planorbis planorbis and Physa acuta. The tested snail ssp. reduced considerably the infection rate of Biomphalaria with S. mansoni especially at a ratio of 10 decoy snails to one Biomphalaria snail. The prosobranchs Melanoides, Cleopatra and Lanistes exhibited more reducing effect on Biomphalaria infection than Bellamya and the pulmonates Physa and Planorbis being 65.2%, 78.8%, 62.9%, 33.3%, 30.3% and 46.9%, respectively.