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Field investigations in 14 wild watercress beds located in the French region of Limousin, a known endemic area for distomatosis, were performed for three years to determine the distance that cercariae of Fasciola hepatica can reach in water before their encystment on the host plant. Each bed was located on the course of an open drainage furrow, while snails (Galba truncatula) lived upstream around the emergence of a source. Five plant species were collected in early April and examined to find metacercariae. Most cysts were noted on Nasturtium officinale (188 on 48.7 kg of dripped plants), followed by Helosciadium nodiflorum (125 on 33.4 kg). On the other plant species, there were few larvae. Most cercariae encysted on the plants growing in the most upstream part of each bed, usually on the first 50 cm in length. When water in the beds was fast running, the distribution of metacercariae was more limited and their number was fewer than those in the beds fed by a slow flow of water. Cercariae were able to swim or were carried away by the current up to a mean of 5 m in slow-flow waters before encysting; this distance was only 4 m in faster waters. Plants growing on the most upstream section of a watercress bed located in a drainage furrow are the most used by cercariae for their encystment, when snails live around the emergence of a source. The speed of the water current affected the number and distribution of metacercariae in the bed., (© D. Rondelaud et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2020.)

A retrospective study on the natural infection of Galba truncatula by Fasciola hepatica was carried out in the French department of Haute-Vienne to determine whether there are areas at risk for fasciolosis. Adult snails included in this analysis came from samples collected from pastures on 259 farms and from 121 wild watercress beds between 1970 and 2006. Fasciola hepatica infection rates were examined in relation to altitude and climatic data (mean annual rainfall, mean annual temperature) of each municipality. In a total of 108,481 snails collected in 151 municipalities, the overall prevalence of infection was 3.8% but varied according to the municipalities from which samples were taken (from 1% to 7.4%). The prevalence of F. hepatica infection in snails significantly decreased when the mean altitude of municipalities or their mean annual rainfall increased. However, this prevalence significantly increased with increasing mean annual temperatures. Studying the prevalence of infection in these snails makes it possible to delineate zones at risk for fasciolosis on the acid soils of Haute-Vienne. The risk of infection for livestock would be greater in areas of Haute-Vienne below 400 m above sea level and would gradually decrease when the altitude of the land increases., (© P. Vignoles et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2017.)

Field investigations on the habitats colonized by Galba truncatula or Omphiscola glabra were carried out on 162 farms of the Limousin region, Central France, to determine whether there is currently a decline in the number and size of snail populations. Seven types of snail habitats were considered here. Compared to the numbers of snail populations recorded from 1976 to 1992, the values noted from 2013 to 2016 were significantly lower, with a decline rate of 34% for G. truncatula and 23% for O. glabra. Variations in this decline rate with the type of snail habitat were also noted. The greatest decreases in the numbers of snail populations were noted for spring heads located in meadows and for road ditches, while the lowest were noted for open drainage furrows present in meadows. The distribution of these habitats according to their area did not show any significant change over time. In contrast, overwintering snails were significantly less numerous in 2013-2016 in five types of habitats for G. truncatula and in three types only for O. glabra. Several causes underlie this population decline. Among them, the current development of mechanical cleaning in open drainage systems and road ditches, that of subsurface drainage in meadows, and regular gyro-crushing of vegetation around temporary spring heads were the most important., (© G. Dreyfuss et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2016.)

As large numbers of metacercariae of Fasciola hepatica are necessary for research, experimental infections of Galba truncatula and Pseudosuccinea columella with this digenean were carried out to determine the better intermediate host for metacercarial production and, consequently, the most profitable snail for decreasing the cost price of these larvae. Pre-adult snails (4 mm in shell height) originating from two populations per lymnaeid species were individually exposed to two or five miracidia, raised at 23 °C and followed for cercarial shedding up to their death. Compared to values noted in G. truncatula, the survival of P. columella on day 30 post-exposure was significantly greater, while the prevalence of F. hepatica infection was significantly lower. In the four P. columella groups, metacercarial production was significantly greater than that noted in the four groups of G. truncatula (347-453 per cercariae-shedding snail versus 163-275, respectively). Apart from one population of G. truncatula, the use of five miracidia per snail at exposure significantly increased the prevalence of F. hepatica in P. columella and the other population of G. truncatula, whereas it did not have any clear effect on the mean number of metacercariae. The use of P. columella for experimental infections with F. hepatica resulted in significantly higher metacercarial production than that noted with G. truncatula, in spite of a lower prevalence for the former lymnaeid. This finding allows for a significant decrease in the cost price of these larvae for commercial production., (© P. Vignoles et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2015.)

Individual infections of Egyptian and French Pseudosuccinea columella with five miracidia of Calicophoron daubneyi were carried out to determine whether this lymnaeid was capable of sustaining larval development of this parasite. On day 42 post-exposure (at 23 °C), infected snails were only noted in groups of individuals measuring 1 or 2 mm in height at miracidial exposure. Snail survival in the 2-mm groups was significantly higher than that noted in the 1-mm snails, whatever the geographic origin of snail population. In contrast, prevalence of C. daubneyi infection was significantly greater in the 1-mm groups (15-20% versus 3.4-4.0% in the 2-mm snails). Low values were noted for the mean shell growth of infected snails at their death (3.1-4.0 mm) and the mean number of cercariae (<9 in the 1-mm groups, <19 in the 2-mm snails). No significant differences between snail populations and snails groups were noted for these last two parameters. Most infected snails died after a single cercarial shedding wave. Both populations of P. columella showed an age resistance to C. daubneyi infection and only juveniles measuring 2 mm or less in shell height at exposure can ensure larval development of this digenean up to cercarial shedding., (© Y. Dar et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2015.)

Lymnaea glabra is known to be a natural intermediate host of two flukes, Calicophoron daubneyi and Fasciola hepatica, in central France. But it can also sustain larval development of other digeneans. Adult snails were thus collected from 206 habitats in 2014 and 2015 to identify parasite species and determine the prevalence of each digenean infection in relation to the five types of snail habitats. Seven digenean species were noted in 321 infected snails (out of 17,647 L. glabra). Snails with F. hepatica or C. daubneyi were found in 14.5% and 12.6% of habitats, respectively. Percentages were lower for snails with Opisthoglyphe ranae (5.8%), Haplometra cylindracea (5.3%) and were less than 5% for those infected with Echinostoma revolutum, Notocotylus sp. or Plagiorchis sp. Prevalence noted for each parasite species varied with the type of habitat. The number of species in L. glabra was lower than that found in G. truncatula from the same region (7 instead of 10). The distribution and prevalence of each digenean species were thus dependent on the type and location of each snail habitat., (© D. Rondelaud et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2015.)

Slaughterhouse samples were analysed over a two-year period (September 2010-August 2012) in Jijel (northeastern Algeria) in order to determine seasonal variations in the prevalence and intensity of bovine paramphistomosis in a Mediterranean climate and identify paramphistome species using molecular biology. In spring and summer, significantly higher prevalences and lower parasite burdens were noted in bull calves, thus indicating an effect of season on these parameters. In contrast, the differences among seasonal prevalences or among seasonal parasite burdens were not significant in the case of old cows. Eleven adult worms from the slaughterhouses of Jijel and three neighbouring departments (Constantine, El Tarf and Setif) were analysed using molecular markers for species identification. Two different species, Calicophoron daubneyi and C. microbothrium, were found. The presence of these two paramphistomids raises the question of their respective frequency in the definitive host and local intermediate hosts., (A. Titi et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2014)

Experimental infections of Egyptian Radix natalensis (shell height at miracidial exposure: 4 mm) with a French isolate of Fasciola hepatica were carried out under laboratory conditions at 22 °C to specify the characteristics and follow the dynamics of their egg-laying. Controls constituted unexposed R. natalensis of the same size. No significant difference between controls and the uninfected snails of the exposed group was noted, whatever the parameter considered. In controls and exposed snails, the dates of the first egg masses were close to each other (56.4-65.3 days). In contrast, the life span of snails and the length of the egg-laying period were significantly shorter and egg production was significantly lower in infected R. natalensis than in controls and uninfected snails. In infected R. natalensis, but without cercarial shedding (NCS snails), egg production was irregular throughout the egg-laying period. In cercarial-shedding (CS) snails, the first egg masses were laid before the first cercarial emergence (at a mean of 56 days and 67 days, respectively). Thereafter, egg mass production of CS snails was irregular up to day 72 of the experiment, stopped during the following two weeks and started again after day 88 for a single snail. In conclusion, the F. hepatica infection of R. natalensis reduced the reproductive activity in both NCS and CS snails. The pattern noted for egg production in infected R. natalensis seems to be species-specific because of the high shell size of this lymnaeid and its role as an atypical intermediate host in the life cycle of the parasite., (© Y. Dar et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2014.)

As abrupt changes in water temperature (thermal shock) triggered a significantly greater cercarial emergence of Fasciola hepatica from experimentally infected Galba truncatula, laboratory investigations were carried out to study the influence of light on cercarial emergence in snails subjected to a thermal shock every week (a mean of 12 °C for 3 h) during the patent period. Thermal shock for these temperature-challenged (TC) snails was carried out outdoors under artificial or natural light, or indoors under constant artificial light. Compared with the infected control snails always reared indoors at 20 °C, the number of cercariae in TC snails subjected to a thermal shock and natural light outdoors was significantly greater. The repetition of this experiment by subjecting TC snails to the same thermal shock indoors under an artificial light level ranging from 600 to 3000 lux did not show any significant difference among the numbers of cercariae in the different subgroups. A detailed analysis of the results noted in the TC snails subjected to natural light during the thermal shock demonstrated that the number of cercariae-releasing snails was significantly higher between 601 and 1200 lux and for the highest nebulosity values (7-8 octas, which corresponds to a sufficiently or completely overcast sky). Contrary to the intensity of artificial light, which did not influence cercarial emergence, the natural light level had a significant effect on this process when F. hepatica-infected snails were subjected to a regular thermal shock during the patent period., (© P. Vignoles et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2014.)

Two hundred Galba truncatula, originating from a French population, were subjected to single-miracidium infections with an allopatric isolate (origin, Argentina) of Fasciola hepatica. The control group was constituted by 100 snails coming from the same population and exposed to sympatric miracidia of F. hepatica according to the same protocol. Snail samples were collected bimonthly from both groups between day 14 and day 112 p.e. (at 20 °C) and snail dissections were performed to count free rediae, intraredial morulae and free cercariae. Third and fourth generation rediae were significantly more numerous in the allopatric group, while the number of first generation rediae was significantly lower. In the sympatric group, the decrease in the number of intraredial morulae in the first, second and third redial generations was significantly faster. Free cercariae within the snail body were significantly more numerous in the sympatric than in the allopatric groups, whatever the date of snail dissection. The changes in redial development and cercarial production noted in the Argentinean group might be due to the evolution of South American flukes in a divergent way after the introduction of foreign infected ruminants in this continent from the 15th century., (© D. Rondelaud et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2013.)

Experimental infections of Galba truncatula (two populations) with Fasciola hepatica or Paramphistomum daubneyi were carried out to study the effect of water temperature changes (3 h at a mean of 12 °C every week) on cercarial shedding during the patent period. The results were compared with those of control snails infected according to the same protocol and always maintained at 20 °C. Compared to controls, a significant increase in the number of cercariae-shedding snails, a significantly longer patent period and significantly greater cercarial production were noted in temperature-challenged snails, regardless of the type of digenean infection. In contrast, the number of incompletely formed metacercariae was significantly higher in temperature-challenged snails than in controls. Incompletely formed metacercariae of F. hepatica consisted of cysts whose colour remained whitish after shedding (25.4% for temperature-challenged snails) or whose dome was flattened after encystment (74.6%). Those of P. daubneyi were totally dark brown or blackish after formation. These incomplete metacercariae might originate from young differentiating cercariae within the snail body (F. hepatica) or from cercariae which died just after encystment (P. daubneyi). The use of regular temperature changes for snails infected with F. hepatica or P. daubneyi must be monitored carefully during collection of metacercariae to select completely formed cysts for infecting definitive hosts., (© D. Rondelaud et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2013.)