A call for standardised snail ecological studies to support schistosomiasis risk assessment and snail control efforts

Freshwater snails act as intermediate hosts (IH) for schistosomiasis, a tropical disease affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Despite their medical importance, an extensive understanding of IH snail ecology remains absent. Especially data on the tolerance limits to different abiotic factors are fragmented and incomplete. Consequently, construction accurate species distribution models identify habitats guide targeted control efforts difficult. Here, we compiled summary African human schistosomiasis. A systematic search Web Science, PubMed, Embase identified 45 relevant studies. Synthesis these studies indicates that research differ greatly between species, life stages, factors. The importance each factor in determining presence abundance is discussed. Furthermore, attention was drawn knowledge gaps lack standardised experimental designs, which impedes comparisons This turn prevents us from making firm conclusions calls best practices adopted by all malacologists. In doing so, ecological could serve basis assess schistosomiasis risk order support control.