Potential biomonitoring of the environmental contamination using snails as sentinel organism: A case study from the Manzala Lagoon, Egypt

Abstract

For the first time, historical and recent records on fascioliasis in Egypt reveal the results of sympatric and allopatric fluke/snail interactions in the Manzala Lagoon area by exploring the susceptibility of the species Pseudosuccinea columella after exposure to the Fasciola hepatica isolates from Egypt. Many factors influence trace metal accumulation in Pseudosuccinea columella, including temperature and salinity. Meanwhile, other factors are important in decreasing the bioaccumulation of heavy metals as low pH, low temperature, and high organic content of the substrate. It is indicated, from this study, that the Fe and Cu contamination can be detected in Pseudosuccinea columella species. The abundance of these snails varied all over the seasons where the minimum value was recorded in summer while reaching the maximum in autumn. Moreover, the abundance increased with increasing rainfall and humidity during the winter season.

Keywords

• Pseudosuccinea columella
• Fasciola hepatica
• Manzala Lagoon
• Heavy metal pollution
• Fascioliasis
• Egypt