Meeting Abstract
P3.108 Monday, Jan. 6 15:30 Effects of Nitrate on Schistosomiasis Snail Hosts OKOSODO, C.; EDWARDS, T.*; Louisiana Tech University, Ruston LA; Louisiana Tech University, Ruston LA cok002@latech.edu
Nitrate levels are constantly increasing in aquatic ecosystems due to fertilizer and sewage runoff. The resulting excess environmental nitrate promotes primary production, including algae blooms, and can directly impact animals through endocrine disruption. This study was done to test the effects of nitrate on growth and reproduction of freshwater snails (Biomphalaria glabrata) that are intermediate hosts to parasitic worms that cause schistosomiasis. About 200 million people worldwide are infected, making schistosomiasis second only to malaria in its devastating effects on people. The snail hosts and parasites are often more common in water polluted by nitrate. Increased snail densities may simply be due to increased plant and algal food availability promoted by high aquatic nitrogen. However, here we test an alternative hypothesis that nitrate promotes snail growth and reproduction directly through interactions with their physiology. Snails were exposed to environmentally relevant doses of nitrate (0, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 50 mg/L NO 3-N). We monitored snail growth; fecundity; time to first, second, and third egg clutches; mortality; and egg viability. Results from this study will expand our understanding of ecological connections between schistosomiasis prevalence and nitrogen pollution.
