Caribbean Lymnaeidae and their host-parasite interaction with the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica

VAZQUEZ AA; DE VARGAS, MERCEDES; ALBA, ANNIA; SANCHEZ JORGE; ALDA P.; SABOURIN, EMELINE; VITTECOQ, MARION; ALARCÓN-ELBAL, PEDRO M.; POINTIER, J.P.; HURTREZ-BOUSSÈS, S.

Bahía Blanca

Congreso; 3° Congreso Argentino de Malacología; 2019

Universidad Nacional del Sur

Fasciolosis is a trematode infection affecting over two million people worldwide with economic losses related to cattle production ascending to three billion dollars annually. Transmission in the Caribbean region is not well studied although Fasciola hepatica is known to be circulating since long ago. We review the ancient and recent data on fasciolosis transmission by the snail hosts in the West Indies, revealing for the first time the outcomes of experimental sympatric and allopatric interactions. We explored the susceptibility of four lymnaeid species (Galba cubensis, Galba schirazensis, Galba truncatula and Pseudosuccinea columella) after the exposure to F. hepatica isolates from Cuba, the Dominican Republic and France. Overall, our results points to the local G. cubensis as the most suitable species for transmission. Sympatric combinations (snail and parasite from the same country) were generally more compatible (higher susceptibility, parasite intensity and survival post-exposure). However, certain allopatric combinations in P. columella showed important parasite intensities advising of potential risks of introductions. Overall, high compatibility in most sympatric combinations and low-to-moderate compatibility in allopatric suggest the existence of local adaptation due to a sustained long interaction. Interesting, attempts of infecting G. schirazensis with sympatric and allopatric flukes failed and evidenced the lowest survival values with a reduced risk of transmission. We discuss the existing gaps of the actual status of fasciolosis transmission from several islands in the West Indies and predict that transmission can be strongly supported in areas where the local snail G. cubensis occurs, increasing the probabilities if also the invasive P. columella co-occurs.