Abstract
Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was performed to determine the alteration of calcium concentration in the soft parts and shells of Biomphalaria alexandrina and Bulinus truncatus due to the infection with Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium, respectively. The results showed significant lowering in the calcium content of the shells of cercariae shedding B. alexandrina and B. truncatus relative to the calcium content in the shells of uninfected ones. In contrast, the calcium content in the soft parts of cercariae shedding snails was higher than in the soft parts of uninfected snails; the differences were statistically significant. Generally, calcium content was significantly higher in the shells than in the soft parts of the snails, regardless infected or uninfected. The results obtained and the hypothesis of hypercalcification in shells of infected snails were discussed.
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Acknowledgment
The author is grateful to Dr. Mohamed H.H. Ali, Researcher in Chemistry Lab. National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt for his technical assistance in calcium determination and to Prof. Ramadan M. Ramadan, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt for his critical reading of the manuscript.
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Mostafa, O.M.S. Effects of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium infections on calcium content in their intermediate hosts. Parasitol Res 101, 963–966 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0566-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0566-z