Melanoides tuberculata as intermediate host of Philophthalmus gralli in Brazil

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Hudson Alves Pinto, Alan Lane de Melo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2010
• Subjects: Philophthalmus gralli; Melanoides tuberculata; Eyefluke; Brazil; Snail intermediate host; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652010000600007; https://doaj.org/article/a1c23d8d534a466cb060932d17b826d2

Melanoides tuberculata that naturally harbored trematode larvae were collected at the Pampulha dam, Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil), during malacological surveys conducted from 2006 to 2010. From 7,164 specimens of M. tuberculata collected, 25 (0.35%) were infected by cercariae, which have been morphologically characterized as belonging to the Megalurous group, genus Philophthalmus. Excysted metacercariae were used for successful experimental infection of Gallus gallus domesticus, and adult parasites recovered from the nictitating membranes of chickens were identified as Philophthalmus gralli. This is the first report of P. gralli in M. tuberculata in Brazil.