Seasonal patterns in the transmission of Schistosoma haematobium in Attaouia, Morocco.

ABSTRACT

In the Attaouia area, the density of Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1827), was monitored monthly for a period of one year in correlation with weather variations. Snails were active throughout the year and particularly abundant at the end of spring and summer. Two snail generations were found to overlap. The infection rate of B. truncatus reached a maximum of 3.5% in the summer when human water contact was frequent. A selective survey conducted in the village of Lamyayha showed that the prevalence of infection with S. haematobium among the local population was 21.2% who were passing from 10 to 80 eggs per 10 ml of urine.