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Background  Humans impose a significant pressure on large herbivore populations, such as hippopotami, through hunting, poaching, and habitat destruction. Anthropogenic pressures can also occur indirectly, such as artificial lake creation and the subsequent introduction of invasive species that alter the ecosystem. These events can lead to drastic changes in parasite diversity and transmission, but generally receive little scientific attention.    Results  In order to document and identify trematode parasites of the common hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius ) in artificial water systems of Zimbabwe, we applied an integrative taxonomic approach, combining molecular diagnostics and morphometrics on archived and new samples. In doing so, we provide DNA reference sequences of the hippopotamus liver fluke  Fasciola nyanzae , enabling us to construct the first complete  Fasciola  phylogeny. We describe parasite spillback of  F. nyanzae  by the invasive freshwater snail  Pseudosuccinea columella , as a consequence of a cascade of biological invasions in Lake Kariba, one of the biggest artificial lakes in the world. Additionally, we report an unknown stomach fluke of the hippopotamus transmitted by the non-endemic snail  Radix  aff.  plicatula , an Asian snail species that has not been found in Africa before, and the stomach fluke  Carmyerius cruciformis  transmitted by the native snail  Bulinus truncatus . Finally,  Biomphalaria pfeifferi  and two  Bulinus  species were found as new snail hosts for the poorly documented hippopotamus blood fluke  Schistosoma edwardiense .    Conclusions  Our findings indicate that artificial lakes are breeding grounds for endemic and non-endemic snails that transmit trematode parasites of the common hippopotamus. This has important implications, as existing research links trematode parasite infections combined with other stressors to declining wild herbivore populations. Therefore, we argue that monitoring the anthropogenic impact on parasite transmission should become an integral part of wildlife conservation efforts.    Graphical abstractSupplementary Information  The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01093-2.

bmc biology

Invasive snails, parasite spillback, and potential parasite spillover drive parasitic diseases of Hippopotamus amphibius in artificial lakes of Zimbabwe