Trematode infection among freshwater gastropods in the Gharb area, Morocco

In the summer of 2012 and the spring of 2013, a snail survey aimed at determining relationships between the distribution of molluscan fauna, various environmental factors and trematode infection was carried out in the Gharb area, Morocco. The molluscan fauna consisted of eleven species belonging to 6 families, (including 9 gastropods and 2 bivalves). Cercariae belonging to five families were collected. Only Melanopsis praemorsa, Lymnea peregra and Lymnaea truncatula issued the cercariae. No case of mixed-species infections was found. The present study, first of its kind at the Gharb region, paved the way for other studies to know information about the distribution and ecology of freshwater molluscs in the region. Keywords : Cercariae, freshwater gastropods, Trematode infection, The Garb area, Morocco.

Distribution of Fresh-Water Mollusks of the Gharb Area (Morocco)

To assess changes in the fauna of freshwater mollusks in the Gharb Plain (Morocco), 200 sites spread over five districts were surveyed between May 2012 and May 2013. A total of 11 species were identified. Physella acuta and Melanopsis praemorsa were most frequently encountered. Bulinus truncatus, an intermediate host of schistosomiasis in Morocco, and Planorbarius metidjensis, an intermediate host of schistosomiasis, were not harvested. The absence of these species may be due to a combination of climatic, biological and anthropogenic factors related to the changes that have occurred in the region