MALACOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INTERMEDIATE HOSTS IN AKURE SOUTH AND OWO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS, ONDO STATE

Abstract

The distribution molluscs in freshwater correlates closely with presence or absence of disease within human population. The study was carried out in Akure South and Owo Local Government Areas (L.G.As) of Ondo State, Nigeria between March/April, 2021 and May/June, 2021.. Snail sampling was done in 32 contact sites with a hand-held scoop net and the sample period lasted ten minutes per contact site. At each collection time, snails from each site were appropriately labeled and transported in separate plastic containers with source water to Public Health Laboratory, Biology Department, Federal University of Technology, Akure. Snails were grouped and identification was done using standard identification keys, involving morphological parameters such as shell height (SH), shell width (SW) and aperture width (AW) measured using digital vernier caliper. The result showed a total of 169 snail species were recovered in the 32 sites sampled, which revealed 3 families, 4 genera and 5 species. Potadoma moerchi recorded a relative percentage occurrence of 60.9%, Potadoma freethi recorded 8.3%, Lanestes ovum recorded 26.0%, Melanoides tuberculata 1.2% and Pila africana recorded 3.6%. No infectivity was recorded amongst sampled snail vectors. Correlation of water parameters with snail species revealed that water velocity correlated significantly at 0.01 confidence levels with Lanestes ovum in Akure South LGA, Temperature correlated significantly at 0.05 confidence levels with Lanestes Ovum in Owo LGA and Conductivity correlated significantly at 0.01 confidence levels with Pila africana in Owo LGA. The presence of these species in some communities in Akure South and Owo LGAs revealed that vertebrate host in the areas may be predisposed to trematode infections due to Schistosoma sp, Centrocetus Sp, Paragonimus sp, Paraphistomum sp and Clonorchis sp, hence the need for prevention and control strategies to curb possible transmission of diseases across the study areas.