Distribution and identification of the genus Biomphalaria Preston (1910): important insights into the epidemiology of Schistosomiasis in the Amazon region

ib.usp.br/revista Schistosomiasis: Schistosoma mansoni and Biomphalaria Mansonic schistosomiasisis a disease that has affected human populations for thousands of years. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that this is one of the most widespread parasitoses in the world and the most common of those dispersed by water (Nomura et al., 2007). Schistosomiasisis a persistent disease, which has spread through anthropogenic modifications of the environment, as well as the migration of populations from endemic areas to new regions, reinforced by the lack of adequate sanitation (Silva, 2013). In 1847, Fujii described the clinical features of the parasitoses in Japan, although the parasite itself was first described by Bilharz in Egypt in 1852. The etiological agent is a flatworm of the Class Trematoda, Genus Schistosoma. The trematode family Schistosomatidae is divided into two subfamilies – the Bilharzielinae, which parasitizes birds and some domestic animals, and the Schistosomatinae, composed of species that parasitize humans and wild animals. The latter includes species medically important such as Schistosoma mansoni (Sanbon, 1907), S. haematobium (Bilharz, 1852), S. japonicum (Katsurada, 1904), S. mekongi (Voge, Brickner& Bruce, 1978) and S. intercalatum (Fischer, 1934). The introduction of these parasites into Brazil occurred through the importation of African and Asian slaves infected with the parasite. While a number of individuals were found to be infected by S. haematobium and S. japonicum, only S. mansoni has become established due to the availability of favorable conditions and compatible hosts. In Brazil, the disease is known popularly as “water belly”, “bilharzia”, “schistosis” or the “snail disease” (Neves, 2011). Currently, schistosomiasis occur in 54 countries, principally in Africa and the Americas. In South America, the disease occurs principally in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Venezuela. In Brazil, this parasitosis has been reported in the Federal District and 18 states – Bahia, Sergipe, Alagongas, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte (coastal zone), Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Distribution and identification of the genus Biomphalaria Preston (1910): important insights into the epidemiology of Schistosomiasis in the Amazon region Tatiane Alencar Lopes1, Stella Yasmin Lima Nobushige1, Ana Paula Santos Silva2, Christiane de Oliveira Goveia3, Martin Johannes Enk3, Iracilda Sampaio2, João Bráulio de Luna Sales4, Luis Fernando da Silva Rodrigues Filho5* 1 Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas, Estácio/Faculdade de Castanhal (FCAT), Castanhal, Pará. 2 Universidade Federal do Pará, Laboratório de Genética e Biologia Molecular, Campus de Bragança Bragança/ PA, Brasil. 3 Instituto Evandro Chagas (IEC), Laboratório de Parasitoses Intestinais, Esquistossomose e Malacologia. 4 Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Universitário do Marajó-Breves, Faculdade de Ciências Naturais (FACIN), Breves-PA. 5 Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Campus Universitário de Capanema, Faculdade de Ciencias Biológicas, Capanema/PA, Brasil. Recebido: 13jun16 Aceito: 04ago17 Publicado: 04/08/17