Breeding of Biomphalaria tenagophila in mass scale

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Florence Mara Rosa, Daisymara P. Almeida Marques, Engels Maciel, Josiane Maria Couto, Deborah A. Negrão-Corrêa, Horácio M. Santana Teles, João Batista dos Santos, Paulo Marcos Zech Coelho
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2013
• Subjects: Mass scale breeding; Biomphalaria; Biomphalaria tenagophila; Resistant lineage; Schistosoma mansoni; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic; Red Earth
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652013000100007; https://doaj.org/article/074946bb2e3c4ce99ae8ffaef06e33fa

An efficient method for breeding Biomphalaria tenagophila (Taim lineage/RS) was developed over a 5-year-period (2005-2010). Special facilities were provided which consisted of four cement tanks (9.4 x 0.6 x 0.22 m), with their bottom covered with a layer of sterilized red earth and calcium carbonate. Standard measures were adopted, as follows: each tank should contain an average of 3000 specimens, and would be provided with a daily ration of 35,000 mg complemented with lettuce. A green-house effect heating system was developed which constituted of movable dark canvas covers, which allowed the temperature to be controlled between 20 - 24 ºC. This system was essential, especially during the coldest months of the year. Approximately 27,000 specimens with a diameter of 12 mm or more were produced during a 14-month-period. The mortality rates of the newly-hatched and adult snails were 77% and 37%, respectively. The follow-up of the development system related to 310 specimens of B. tenagophila demonstrated that 70-day-old snails reached an average of 17.0 ± 0.9 mm diameter. The mortality rates and the development performance of B. tenagophila snails can be considered as highly satisfactory, when compared with other results in literature related to works carried out with different species of the genus Biomphalaria, under controlled laboratory conditions.