International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (IJPAB)
Year : 2016, Volume : 4, Issue : 2
First page : (91) Last page : (102)
Article doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2264

Factors affecting seasonal abundance of gastropods of public health importance found at Agulu Lake shorelines in Nigeria

O.O. Ikpeze* and M.E. Obikwelu
Department of Parasitology & Entomology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025, Awka, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author E-mail: oo.ikpeze@unizik.edu.ng
Received: 10.04.2016  |  Revised: 16.04.2016   |  Accepted: 18.04.2016  

Abstract
Agulu Lake is one of 366 geo-referenced Schistosomiasis endemic foci in Nigeria. There is a dearth of publication on the gastropod intermediate hosts for larval stages of Schistosoma haematobium that cause urinary Schistosomiasis in Agulu. Gastropod abundance was determined by sampling eight stations on Agulu Lake shorelines from November 2012 to October 2013, using scoop net sampling and hand picking techniques, supplemented by 20 minutes manual search over aquatic plants and suspended materials in each sampled quadrat. Total abundance of gastropods encountered was 6866, which comprised Bulinus globosus 1957(28.5%), B. truncatus 1832(26.7%), B. forskalii 964(14%), Lymnaea natalensis 2089(30.4%) and Melanoides tuberculatus 24(0.4%).  Mean seasonal density of gastropod/m2 was 4.81±3.07 for dry season and 3.77±2.63 for rainy season while spatial density for Agulu and Nri arms of the lake were 5.1±4.43 and 3.48±2.3, respectively. Generally, gastropod density was strongly and positively correlated with calcium ions but negatively correlated with water transparency, depth, dissolved oxygen and pH. However, water temperature showed little influence on gastropod abundance. Further work on molecular identification of the gastropods and their Schistosome infectivity status is needed because of human-water-contact activities in Agulu Lake and its environs.

Keywords: Agulu Lake, water parameters, Gastropod density, Schistosomiasis

Full Text : PDF; Journal doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782

Cite this article: Ikpeze,  O.O. and Obikwelu, M.E., Factors affecting seasonal abundance of gastropods of public health importance found at Agulu Lake shorelines in Nigeria, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 4(2): 91-102 (2016). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2264