Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Contrary to the majority of other Trematoda, Schistosoma species are gonochoric. Consequently, in endemic areas where several schistosome species overlap and can co-infect the same definitive host, there may be frequent opportunities for interspecific pairing. Our experimental study provides novel insight on the pairing behavior between Schistosoma bovis and S. We used six mate choice experiments to assess mating interactions between the two schistosome species.
We show that mating between the two Schistosoma species is not random and that S. We also performed reciprocal crosses male S.
These miracidia were genotyped by ITS2 sequencing and proposed for mollusc infection. Molecular analyses show that all the miracidia are parthenogenetically produced i.
Offspring produced by male S. Evolutionary and epidemiological consequences are discussed. Keywords: Schistosoma bovis , Schistosoma mansoni , mating interactions, F1 progeny, compatibility, Bulinus truncatus , Biomphalaria glabrata. The class Trematoda is a diversified phylum of worms characterized by their parasitic way of life. Trematoda are usually hermaphroditic; however, the hundred species belonging to the family of Schistosomatidae are exceptional because they are gonochoric [ 1 , 2 ].
This family contains some species of considerable medical and veterinary importance [ 3 , 4 ]. Among them, the Schistosoma genus is the most important in terms of human health and social-economic impacts. Human schistosomiasis affects about million people in about 78 countries worldwide, with the largest disease burden throughout sub-Saharan Africa [ 5 ]. The Schistosoma genus is composed of about 23 recognized species with at least 19 species that infect livestock and wild animals [ 6 ].
