title: Towards the Elimination of Schistosomiasis japonica through Control of the Disease in Domestic Animals in The People's Republic of China: A Tale of over 60Years.
abstract: Schistosomiasis japonica, an endemic, zoonotic tropical parasitic disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum, remains an important public health concern in The People's Republic of China. Unlike other species of Schistosoma, over 40 species of wild and domestic animals can act as reservoir hosts of S. japonicum, which increases the difficulty for the control of this tropical disease. It is widely recognized that domestic animals, particularly water buffaloes and cattle, play an important role in the transmission of S. japonicum. Hence, since the 1950s when The People's Republic of China commenced fight against the disease, the control of animal schistosomiasis has been carried out almost synchronously with that of human schistosomiasis, such that great strides have been made over the past six decades. In this chapter, we review the history and current status of schistosomiasis control in domestic animals in The People's Republic of China. We thoroughly analyse the prevalence of domestic animal schistosomiasis at different stages of schistosomiasis control and the role of different species of domestic animals in transmission of the disease, summarize the control strategies and assess their effectiveness. Furthermore, the challenges ahead are discussed and recommendations for future direction are provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shannxi Province, The People's Republic of China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Hefei, Anhui Province, The People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Z-G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shannxi Province, The People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Y-E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St Kitts, West Indies.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee Willingham
authors.affiliation: Anhui Provincial Institute of Schistosomiasis Control, Hefei, Anhui Province, The People's Republic of China; Anhui Institute of Parasitic Disease, Hefei, The People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: T-P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology*; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000469:parasitology; D002417:Cattle; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000502:physiology*; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission
keywords: Chemotherapy; Domestic animals; National control programme; Nationwide sampling survey; Prevalence and challenges; Relative transmission index; Schistosomiasis japonica; The People's Republic of China