Trematode infection among freshwater gastropods in the Gharb area, Morocco

Abstract

In the summer of 2012 and the spring of 2013, a snail survey aimed at determining relationships between the distribution of molluscan fauna, various environmental factors and trematode infection was carried out in the Gharb area, Morocco. The molluscan fauna consisted of eleven species belonging to 6 families, (including 9 gastropods and 2 bivalves). Cercariae belonging to five families were collected. Only Melanopsis praemorsa, Lymnea peregra and Lymnaea truncatula issued the cercariae. No case of mixed-species infections was found.

The present study, first of its kind at the Gharb region, paved the way for other studies to know information about the distribution and ecology of freshwater molluscs in the region.

Keywords : Cercariae, freshwater gastropods, Trematode infection, The Garb area, Morocco.