title: The prawn Macrobrachium vollenhovenii in the Senegal River basin: towards sustainable restocking of all-male populations for biological control of schistosomiasis.
abstract: Early malacological literature suggests that the outbreak of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by aquatic snails, in the Senegal River basin occurred due to ecological changes resulting from the construction of the Diama dam. The common treatment, the drug praziquantel, does not protect from the high risk of re-infection due to human contact with infested water on a daily basis. The construction of the dam interfered with the life cycle of the prawn Macrobrachium vollenhovenii by blocking its access to breeding grounds in the estuary. These prawns were demonstrated to be potential biological control agents, being effective predators of Schistosoma-susceptible snails. Here, we propose a responsible restocking strategy using all-male prawn populations which could provide sustainable disease control. Male prawns reach a larger size and have a lower tendency to migrate than females. We, therefore, expect that periodic restocking of all-male juveniles will decrease the prevalence of schistosomiasis and increase villagers' welfare. In this interdisciplinary study, we examined current prawn abundance along the river basin, complemented with a retrospective questionnaire completed by local fishermen. We revealed the current absence of prawns upriver and thus demonstrated the need for restocking. Since male prawns are suggested to be preferable for bio-control, we laid the molecular foundation for production of all-male M. vollenhovenii through a complete sequencing of the insulin-like androgenic gland-encoding gene (IAG), which is responsible for sexual differentiation in crustaceans. We also conducted bioinformatics and immunohistochemistry analyses to demonstrate the similarity of this sequence to the IAG of another Macrobrachium species in which neo-females are produced and their progeny are 100% males. At least 100 million people at risk of schistosomiasis are residents of areas that experienced water management manipulations. Our suggested non-breeding sustainable model of control-if proven successful-could prevent re-infections and thus prove useful throughout the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel; French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Sede-Boqer, Israel.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savaya Alkalay
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Ohad
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Susanne H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sokolow
authors.affiliation: Université Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis, Senegal.
authors.forename: Yacinthe P W
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Faye
authors.affiliation: University Cheikh Anta Diop, Fann, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Djibril S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Faye
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Eliahu D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Aflalo
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Biomédicale Espoir Pour La Santé, Sor, Saint-Louis, Senegal.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jouanard
authors.affiliation: French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Sede-Boqer, Israel.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zilberg
authors.affiliation: The 20|20 Initiative, Pasadena, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huttinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sagi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D033541:Palaemonidae / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D045483:Rivers / Q000469:parasitology; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012675:Senegal