الفهرس 
Title : Impact of Snail Lipid Profile on Schistosome Development in the Intermediate Host
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Abstract
Only a fraction of the Biomphalaria and Bulinus snail
community shows patent infection with schistosomes
despite continuous exposure to the parasite, indicating that
a substantial proportion of snails may resist infection.
Accordingly, exterminating the schistosome intermediate
snail hosts in transmission foci in habitats that may extend
to kilometres, is cost-prohibitive and damaging to the
ecological equilibrium and quality of water, and may be
superfluous. It may be more cost effective with risk less
ecological damage to focus on discovering the parameters
governing snail susceptibility and resistance to schistosome
infection. Therefore, laboratory bred Biomphalaria
alexandrina and Bulinus truncatus snails were exposed to
miracidia of laboratory-maintained Schistosoma mansoni
and S. haematobium, respectively. Snails were examined
for presence or lack of infection association with soft tissue
and hemolymph content of proteins, cholesterol, and
triglycerides, evaluated using standard biochemical
techniques, and palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidonic
acid, assayed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Successful schistosome
infection of B.alexandrina and B. truncates consistently and reproducibly correlated with snails showing highly
significant (up to P < 0.0001) decrease in soft tissue and
hemolymph content of the monounsaturated fatty acid,
oleic acid, and the polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and
arachidonic acids as compared to naïve snails. Snails that
resisted twice infection had soft tissue content of oleic,
linoleic, and arachidonic acid similar to naïve counterparts.
High levels of soft tissue and hemolymph oleic, linoleic
and arachidonic acid content appear to interfere with
schistosome development in snails. Diet manipulation
directed to eliciting excessive increase of polyunsaturated
fatty acids in snails may protect them from infection and
interrupt disease transmission in a simple and effective
manner