Genetic Diversity and Infection Prevalence of Biomphalaria pfeifferi (Krauss, 1848), the Intermediate Snail Host of Schistosoma mansoni in Gezira State, Sudan

TL;DR

This study examines the genetic diversity and infection rates of Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails in Sudan, highlighting the importance of molecular tools for tracking schistosomiasis.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the genetic structure and infection prevalence of B. pfeifferi in Sudan using molecular methods.

Findings

Five COI haplotypes and ten 16S haplotypes were identified, showing genetic diversity in B. pfeifferi.

Molecular methods detected higher S. mansoni infection prevalence (7.4%) compared to traditional methods (3.6%).

Genetic divergence was higher for COI than for 16S, suggesting a post-bottleneck population expansion.

Abstract

Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails serve as the major intermediate host for intestinal schistosomiasis in Sudan. The genetic structure and infection status of 163 B. pfeifferi collected from six localities in Gezira State, Sudan (East Gezira, Greater Wadmedani, Hasahisa, North Umelgura, South Gezira, and Managil) were characterized. Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) mitochondrial genes were used for B. pfeifferi molecular identification and genetic diversity investigation. Schistosoma mansoni infection was detected using the traditional cercarial shedding and molecular methods (SmF/R primers). Five COI haplotypes and ten 16S haplotypes were identified, with haplotype diversity of 0.50 for COI and 0.11 for 16S. High evolutionary divergence was observed between groups (Fst = 0.94) for the COI, and low genetic divergence (Fst = 0.04) for the 16S, indicating genetic divergence among Sudanese B. pfeifferi, with the 16S showing lower divergence than the COI, consistent with a post-bottleneck population expansion. Cercarial shedding detected an overall infection prevalence of 3.6% (8/219), with only two snails from Hasahisa shedding S. mansoni cercariae. The SmF/R primers revealed a higher infection prevalence of 7.4% (12/163), with all S. mansoni positive samples found at the Hasahisa site. Findings highlight the value of molecular diagnostic tools for accurate surveillance and emphasize the need for site-specific control strategies.

Figures