Detection of Schistosoma spp. in its snail intermediate host (Oncomelania quadrasi) collected from Carmen, Davao del Norte and Mawab District of Region XI from October 2017 to April 2018

• Main Authors: Espino, Shaira Marie S., Isaguirre, Rafael Jose A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Schistosoma; Schistosomiasis; Parasites; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/8729
• Institution: De La Salle University

Schistosoma japonicum is one of the most prominent parasites known to cause the NTD, schistosomiasis. The parasite is known to infect human hosts through proliferating into its cercarial stage from its intermediate host, Oncomelania quadrasi and entering the body via skin penetration that would cause of variety of chronic symptoms. In the Philippines, region XI is known to be one of the regions endemic of the diseases which cases occur yearly. The Department of Health takes action to appease the problem of schistosomiasis by implementing numerous initiatives to cure the disease in humans. However, it is imperative that a survey on the presence of the parasite in the intermediate host is needed to be done in order to allow the data in order to be utilized for future initiatives to red the problem of the disease. The researchers surveyed the areas of Mawab District of Region XI through the collection and testing of the snails from the respective areas. Collection of 0 quadrasi are to be done from October 2017 to April 2018 once per month per area. The snails are to be tested using two methods namely cercarial emergence and crushing methods. Only 2 snails are positive schistosomiasis Cercaria which are collected during the months of December and January, both from the Mawab district. The low yield of positive results is because of the projects being implemented by the DOH in the area. However, there are some environmental factors that played a part such as constant rainfall and heightened presence of plant matter which may have contributed to the two positive results. The study can be further improved by increasing the sope of the areas tested per district in order to get the full data of cases.