Population dynamics of Lymnaea columella and its natural infection by Fasciola hepatica in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Studies on the population dynamics and natural infection of Lymnaea columella by Fasciola hepatica were carried out from September 1999 to December 2000 in a low-lying area near Itajubá in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais. A total of 626 snails were collected monthly at nine different sites, counted, and dissected to search for larvae of F. hepatica. The highest populations of L. columella were reached in October of 1999 and August of 2000, and the highest natural infection rates of snails by F. hepatica were reached in September 1999 (5.2%) and July 2000 (3.9%). The removal by farmers of aquatic plants from the drainage furrows caused a drastic reduction in this snail population.
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Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Caixa Postal 486, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horionte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004463:Ecology; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007814:Larva; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000469:parasitology*; D011157:Population Dynamics