Development of a Molecular Snail Xenomonitoring Assay to Detect <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> and <i>Schistosoma bovis</i> Infections in their <i>Bulinus</i> Snail Hosts
Tom Pennance,
John Archer,
Elena Birgitta Lugli,
Penny Rostron,
Felix Llanwarne,
Said Mohammed Ali,
Amour Khamis Amour,
Khamis Rashid Suleiman,
Sarah Li,
David Rollinson,
Jo Cable,
Stefanie Knopp,
Fiona Allan,
Shaali Makame Ame,
Bonnie Lee Webster
Affiliations
Tom Pennance
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
John Archer
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Elena Birgitta Lugli
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Penny Rostron
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Felix Llanwarne
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Said Mohammed Ali
Public Health Laboratory–Ivo de Carneri, P.O. Box 122 Chake-Chake, Pemba, Tanzania
Amour Khamis Amour
Public Health Laboratory–Ivo de Carneri, P.O. Box 122 Chake-Chake, Pemba, Tanzania
Khamis Rashid Suleiman
Public Health Laboratory–Ivo de Carneri, P.O. Box 122 Chake-Chake, Pemba, Tanzania
Sarah Li
Schistosomiasis Resource Centre, Biomedical Research Institute, 9410 Key West, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
David Rollinson
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Jo Cable
School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
Stefanie Knopp
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
Fiona Allan
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Shaali Makame Ame
Public Health Laboratory–Ivo de Carneri, P.O. Box 122 Chake-Chake, Pemba, Tanzania
Bonnie Lee Webster
Wolfson Wellcome Biomedical Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease of medical and veterinary importance, transmitted through specific freshwater snail intermediate hosts, is targeted for elimination in several endemic regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Multi-disciplinary methods are required for both human and environmental diagnostics to certify schistosomiasis elimination when eventually reached. Molecular xenomonitoring protocols, a DNA-based detection method for screening disease vectors, have been developed and trialed for parasites transmitted by hematophagous insects, such as filarial worms and trypanosomes, yet few have been extensively trialed or proven reliable for the intermediate host snails transmitting schistosomes. Here, previously published universal and Schistosoma-specific internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA primers were adapted into a triplex PCR primer assay that allowed for simple, robust, and rapid detection of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis in Bulinus snails. We showed this two-step protocol could sensitively detect DNA of a single larval schistosome from experimentally infected snails and demonstrate its functionality for detecting S. haematobium infections in wild-caught snails from Zanzibar. Such surveillance tools are a necessity for succeeding in and certifying the 2030 control and elimination goals set by the World Health Organization.