article · Zoonotic Diseases
Schistosomiasis remains one of the most prominent neglected tropical diseases across sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria recording the highest endemic caseload in the region. Traditional public health strategies have concentrated primarily on limiting human exposure to freshwater sources harbouring intermediate host snails. However, the potential transmission of parasites between livestock and humans has received comparatively little investigation. Several West African nations sharing the Niger and Benue river basins, including Niger, Benin, and Cameroon, have documented hybridisation between human-infecting Schistosoma haematobium and cattle-infecting Schistosoma bovis. These shared waterways raise concerns that snails infected with hybrid strains could enter and establish within Nigerian water bodies. Research in Nigeria is currently focusing on clarifying zoonotic schistosomiasis epidemiology, identifying the drivers of species hybridisation, and evaluating ways to adjust existing disease management frameworks to tackle the threat of hybrid schistosomes effectively.
Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic illness that severely affects human health across Africa. If livestock act as disease reservoirs and parasites hybridise across species, human-only interventions will fail to stop infections. Understanding how livestock and cross-border river networks contribute to transmission enables public health authorities to develop comprehensive management programmes that address both animal and human health.
This research informs public health agencies and disease surveillance teams seeking to improve control interventions against parasitic infections. Potential applications include updated zoonotic screening protocols and integrated veterinary and public health programmes, though the work represents early-stage epidemiological research that is not yet packaged as commercial products or applied services.
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Schistosomiasis is one of the leading neglected tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Recorded case numbers of this chronic and debilitating helminth disease indicate Nigeria to be the most endemic country within this region. National control efforts have focused intensively on restricting human contact with freshwater sources of intermediate host snails. However, limited attention has been paid to the role of livestock as reservoir hosts and the prevalence of transmission of schistosomes to humans via farmed animals. The West African nations of Mali, Senegal, and the neighbouring Niger, Benin, and Cameroon have all reported the hybridization of the closely related species of Schistosoma haematobium, which infects humans, and S. bovis, which infects cattle. As these countries share the Niger and Benue rivers, with their tributaries, there is a distinct possibility of aquatic snails infected with hybrid schistosomes migrating to become established in the Nigerian river system. Here, we report on the current state of research in Nigeria that aims to elucidate key aspects of zoonotic schistosomiasis epidemiology. Factors promoting the hybridization of Schistosoma species are highlighted, and how available control measures can be optimized to address the emergence of schistosome hybrids is discussed.
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DOI: 10.3390/zoonoticdis3010006
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