Antonio Alejandro Vázquez Perera

Institute of Research for Development | IRD · 224 - Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control (MIVEGEC)

In Cuba, only two lymnaeid snails, Galba cubensis and Pseudosuccinea columella, with different ecology and distribution patterns, are intermediate hosts for Fasciola hepatica. The compatibility of these two species as hosts was analysed through their rates of infection, the production of rediae and survivorship when exposed to F. hepatica miracidia...

In this study we present the first approach to exploration of the genetic diversity of Cuban Fasciola hepatica populations using microsatellite markers, coupled with observed prevalence in slaughterhouses. Nine populations of flukes recovered from cows and buffalos were studied in the central-western region of Cuba. The observed infection rates of...

The giant African snail, Lissachatina fulica, is considered one of the most invasive species worldwide, acting as a crop pest and diseases vector. It was first detected in Cuba in 2014 and is dispersing throughout Havana. We mapped 34 sites in the vicinity of Havana to assess its spread and analysed ecological (forestation and humidity) and anthrop...

Fasciolosis is an important food-borne parasitic disease affecting over two million people worldwide with economic losses related to cattle production of up to US$ 3 billion annually. Despite the long known presence of Fasciola hepatica in the Caribbean islands its transmission is not well known. This study reviews historical and recent data on fas...

Fasciola hepatica is a worldwide emerging and re-emerging parasite heavily affecting several regions in South America. Some lymnaeid snail species of American origin are among the major hosts of F. hepatica worldwide. Recent paleoparasitological findings detected its DNA in a 2300-year-old sample in Patagonia, countering the common hypothesis of th...

Background Biological invasions pose risks to the normal functioning of ecosystems by altering the structure and composition of several communities. Molluscs stand out as an extensively studied group given their long history of introduction by either natural or anthropogenic dispersal events. An alien population of the lymnaeid species Orientogalba...

The Lymnaeidae (also known as 'pond snails') are a species-rich and globally distributed family of freshwater snails, many species of which are known to be hosts of parasitic trematodes (such as the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica). Written by world-leading experts in the field, this book covers a wealth of topics, ranging from the phylogeny and tax...

The distribution of the recent Lymnaeidae across continents and zoogeographical regions of the world is reviewed, with a brief characteristic of the geographical distribution of each extant lymnaeid genus. The quantitative estimates of the similarity between the lymnaeid faunas of different continents and the largest zoogeographical regions are pro...

Digeneans (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda) are considered as a very ancient and as the most diversified group of internal metazoan parasites of animals. They can have important detrimental effects on human and animal health. They also affect populations dynamics of their hosts, are able to shape the structure of communities, and can act as determinants...

Lymnaeid snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites that have a worldwide distribution, inhabiting freshwater areas from almost all continents ranging from tropical to arctic regions and from sea level to very high altitudes. In this chapter, we review the reproductive anatomy, behavioral and physiological traits, and mating strategies associated with...

Many species of Digenea require a host snail for the development of their larval forms. Among the species of molluscs involved in the transmission of these parasitoses, Lymnaeidae serves as intermediate hosts for at least 71 species of parasites, distributed in 13 families. The breeding of lymnaeids under laboratory conditions allows specifying the...

In this last chapter, we have briefly summarized several topics treated within the main chapters of this book on the Lymnaeidae. A call of attention is placed upon the integrativeness of research towards this group of snails, from classical to the state-of-the-art approaches. While certain areas of the Lymnaeidae study have been thoroughly covered,...

The family Lymnaeidae is globally recognized for its role in the transmission of fasciolosis. This chapter thoroughly reviews the species of lymnaeid snails that have a proven or suspected role in the transmission of the liver flukes Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. An outline of the differential roles of each major clade is presented with...

The objective of this chapter is to review the different methods for field control of host snails involved in the transmission of fasciolosis. Environmental measures such as drainage of swampy soils or cutting of vegetation in watercourses can reduce the number of snails. Synthetic molluscicides are being used less and less because of their cost, t...

Fasciolosis is a re-emergent parasitic disease of worldwide significance with a major global impact on livestock health and production. In the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, fasciolosis has been recognized for a long time but little is known about its dynamic as the main investigations are outdated. Three compartments - definitive domestic...

Mollusks have been widely investigated for antimicrobial peptides because their humoral defense against pathogens is mainly based on these small biomolecules. In this report, we describe the identification of three novel antimicrobial peptides from the marine mollusk Nerita versicolor. A pool of N. versicolor peptides was analyzed with nanoLC-ESI-M...

One of the most interesting biological models is that of snail–trematode interactions, many of which ultimately result in the transmission of several important diseases, particularly in the tropics. Herein, we review the scientific advances on a trematode–snail system in which certain populations of Pseudosuccinea columella (a common host species f...

Recently two peptides isolated from the Cuban freshwater snail Pomacea poeyana (Pilsbry, 1927) were described to have antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens. Here we show considerable activities of Pom-1 and Pom-2 to reduce the viability of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and the less common species C. auris measured as the decrease of met...

Cryptic species can present a significant challenge to the application of systematic and biogeographic principles, especially if they are invasive or transmit parasites or pathogens. Detecting cryptic species requires a pluralistic approach in which molecular markers facilitate the detection of coherent taxonomic units that can then be analyzed usi...

The increasing distribution and prevalence of fasciolosis in both human and livestock are concerning. Here, we examine the various types of factors influencing fasciolosis transmission and burden and the interrelations that may exist between them. We present the arsenal of molecules, ‘adjusting’ capabilities and parasitic strategies of Fasciola to...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are biomolecules with antimicrobial activity against a broad group of pathogens. In the past few decades, AMPs have represented an important alternative for the treatment of infectious diseases. Their isolation from natural sources has been widely investigated. In this sense, mollusks are promising organisms for the id...

Fasciolosis is a worldwide spread parasitosis mainly caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica. This disease is particularly important for public health in tropical regions but it can also affect the economies of many developed countries due to large infections in domestic animals. Although several studies have tried to understand the transmission...

In freshwater pulmonates, shell characters are for the most part absent and shell shape alone has been used to describe new taxa in the 19th and 20th centuries and even as recently as the 21st century. Using only shell shape as a diagnostic character is of limited use for separating closely related species because of its wide phenotypic variation....

Neritimorpha is a group of gastropod mollusks including several families of land snails (e.g., Helicinidae), deep water marine limpets (e.g., Phenacolepadidae), and freshwater and marine snails and limpets (e.g., Neritidae). As other larger clades within the Gastropoda, Neritimorpha has independently evolved snail-, slug- and limpetlike forms compr...

Keys to Freshwater Neotropical Molluscs

An updated taxonomic review of Mollusca from the Neotropical regions is presented in this chapter. Dichotomous identification keys to the lowest justifiable taxonomic level based on the most recent literature are provided. These are coupled with the material preparation methods, defined relevant morphological terms, and current limitations in our k...

Pseudosuccinea columella snails transmit the trematode Fasciola hepatica, but in Cuba, six naturally occurring populations successfully resist parasite infection. Here, we present an updated distribution of P. columella in Cuba; 68 positive sites with the earliest records more abundant in west-central Cuba and with east-central populations generall...

The snail Pseudosuccinea columella is one of the main vectors of the medically-important trematode Fasciola hepatica. In Cuba, the existence of natural P. columella populations that are either susceptible or resistant to F. hepatica infection offers a unique snail-parasite for study of parasite-host compatibility and immune function in gastropods....

Introducción: en el paisaje epidemiológico de la fascioliasis humana, dos aspectos son de fundamental importancia: a) presencia de hospederos definitivos (especialmente ganado bovino y humanos) parasitados con adultos del tremátodo y; b) presencia de hospederos intermediarios invertebrados, moluscos de la familia Lymnaeidae, en los que se desarroll...

The Fasciola hepatica/Pseudosuccinea columella interaction in Cuba involves a unique pattern of phenotypes; while most snails are susceptible, some field populations are naturally resistant to infection and parasites are encapsulated by snail hemocytes. Thus, we investigated the hemocytes of resistant (R) and susceptible (S) P. columella, in partic...

Cryptic species are a major problem in systematics and biogeography, especially if they are invasive or transmit parasites or pathogens. Detecting cryptic species requires a pluralistic approach in which molecular markers allow to detect coherent taxonomical units that can then be analyzed using various markers (e.g., internal morphology) and cross...

Fasciolosis is a snail-borne disease, causing serious public and veterinary health problems worldwide. This disease is produced by infection with Fasciola hepatica or Fasciola gigantica through the consumption of vegetables or water contaminated with the parasite’s metacercarial cysts. Both species of liver flukes are transmitted worldwide by small...

BACKGROUND: Pseudosuccinea columella is one of the most widespread vectors of Fasciola hepatica, a globally distributed trematode that affects humans, livestock and wildlife. The exclusive occurrence in Cuba of susceptible and naturally-resistant populations to F. hepatica within this snail species, offers a fascinating model for evolutionary biol...

Fasciolosis is a food-borne trematodosis affecting many cattle farms in Cuba. Ten dairy farms in western Cuba were studied to assess the prevalence in both intermediate and definitive hosts. A single faecal sample from 455 dairy cows was studied. The animals were randomly selected and the samples were kept at -20oC until infection determination. De...

Objective To study the distribution of vertical transmission of dengue viruses in field‐collected Aedes aegypti larvae in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo in Havana, Cuba. Methods Ae. aegypti larvae and pupae were collected monthly between September 2013 and July 2014 in the seven Municipal Health Areas of Arroyo Naranjo. Pools formed of 30‐55 l...

Fasciolosis is a worldwide disease caused by the liver fluke Fasciola spp. This food- and water-borne disease is a major public health and veterinary issue. It is currently (re)emerging in several regions mainly due to the rapid evolution of human activities. This article reviews the current knowledge of the impact of irrigation-system management,...

The Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) is known for engaging in long-distance North-South migrations and back in the Americas with Cuba being an important wintering ground. Teals serve as hosts for a wide range of parasite species that can be “discharged” at each end of the migration route. Here, we explore for the first time the diversity of trema...

The giant African snail Lissachatina fulica has been reported invading Cuba since 2014 and is now well established in areas of Havana and several nearby regions. This invasive species is of major concern to health authorities given its role as an important vector of parasites such as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the causative agent of eosinophilic...

A molecular tool described here allows in one step for specific discrimination among three cryptic freshwater snail species (genus Galba) involved in fasciolosis transmission, a worldwide infectious disease of humans and livestock. The multiplex PCR approach taken targets for each species a distinctive, known microsatellite locus which is amplified...

While horizontal transmission (human-mosquito-human) of dengue viruses largely determines the epidemiology of the disease, vertical transmission (infected female mosquito- infected offspring) has been suggested as a mechanism that ensures maintenance of the virus during adverse conditions for horizontal transmission to occur. The purpose of this st...

Population genetic studies are efficient for inferring the invasion history based on a comparison of native and invasive populations, especially when conducted at species scale. An expected outcome in invasive populations is variability loss, and this is especially true in self-fertilizing species. We here focus on the self-fertilizing Pseudosuccin...

The freshwater snail Galba cubensis (Pfeiffer, 1839) has a large distribution in the Americas. Despite being an intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica—the trematode causing fasciolosis in livestock and humans—its population genetics have never been studied. We isolated and characterized 15 microsatellite loci in G. cubensis to evaluate its genetic...

Background: Fasciolosis is one of the food-borne neglected trematodioses that has reemerged as a human disease while its effects on domestic animal health remains of significant economic consideration. Being snail-borne disease, the accurate and time-saving epidemiological surveillance of the transmission foci where infected lymnaeid snails occur...

Les interactions hôte – parasites sont des systèmes qui affectent probablement la totalité des êtres vivants et constituent un facteur clé dans la compréhension de la dynamique des maladies infectieuses. On a abordé cette problématique en utilisant le système Fasciola hepatica/Lymnaeidae dans sur l'île de Cuba. Cette thèse utilise une approche basé...

Natural infections of lymnaeid snails by Fasciola hepatica are of primary importance to study transmission. Also, infected snails in the field can be used to explore the existing compatibility in host-parasite interactions. This paper aimed to describe the infection rate of Galba cubensis populations in fasciolosis transmission areas. Eight sites w...

ABSTRACT Introduction: The recognition of intermediary host snails is capital to control snailborne diseases. Morphological studies allow the identification of species in a simple and accessible way which may not require the use of advanced molecular techniques. Since specialized readings regarding medical malacology are not broadly available in Cu...

Rocky shore molluscs are highly relevant in keeping shore’s dynamics and ecological balance of beaches. The knowledge regarding species distribution patterns is important in understanding how environmental and anthropogenic factors may influence the structure of these communities. This study aimed to explore changes in structure and composition of...

The giant African snail, Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica (Bowdich 1822), is considered one of the worst invasive alien species in the world. This mollusc is also a concern to public health because it can serve as an intermediate host of the rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a causative agent of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans. Th...

Fasciolosis is a globally distributed snail-borne disease which requires economic consideration due to its enormous impact on veterinary medicine. During recent decades, this parasitosis has also shown increasing prevalence in human populations worldwide. The dissemination and successful transmission of fasciolosis ultimately depends on the existen...

The control of fasciolosis, as that of other vector-borne diseases, must be related to the control of the lymnaeid snails, the intermediate hosts of the parasite. Thus, an accurate epidemiological surveillance of the transmission foci where the infected mollusks occur is essential. For this purpose, immunoassays could be a useful tool. However, inf...

En este trabajo se presenta una guía que sirve para la identificación de las especies existentes en la Península de Guanahacabibes con datos sobre su distribución y algunos aspectos generales de su ecología. Estudios realizados en 19 localidades permitieron identificar 12 especies de moluscos fluviales de la clase Gastropoda, en el interior de la P...

Introduction: fascioliasis is an emerging disease worldwide. In Cuba its occurrence is sporadic, seriously affecting cattle. Objective: report the presence and distribution of Pseudosuccinea columella in the province of Camagüey, Cuba. Methods: a survey was conducted of 455 actual or potential freshwater mollusk breeding sites in the province of Ca...

Introduction: studies on digenean trematode species living in Cuba are scarce and mainly focused on species causing major parasitic diseases in humans. Moreover, the intermediary host for many of the trematodes has not been found. Eight species of Paramphistomatidae have been reported in Cuba, but the mollusk species involved in transmission of thi...

Littoridinops monroensis Frauenfeld, 1863 was found in recent surveys in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Cuba. The species seems to be well established in this area with populations occurring in diverse habitats. L. monroensis has never been recorded from other monitored localities in the country and constitutes a new species record for Cuba. Its app...

Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) control programmes in Cuba rely on the application of the organophosphate temephos for larval control. Hence, the monitoring of resistance to this insecticide is an essential component of such programmes. Here, 15 field populations from different municipalities of Havana City were assayed for resistance to te...

RESUMEN INTRODUCCIÓN: los moluscos fluviales se caracterizan por su capacidad de servir como hospederos intermediarios de importantes parásitos causantes de enfermedades tropicales. OBJETIVO: se realizó un estudio malacológico en la provincia de Santiago de Cuba para determinar la distribución de las principales especies de importancia médica y su...

A wild population of the lymnaeid snail Pseudosuccinea columella infected by larval stages of Fasciola hepatica was discovered in the Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. One of 100 snails was infected in a rice culture field. This is the first time this species has been found acting as intermediate host of F. hepatica under natural conditions, not only f...

RESUMEN Introducción: los moluscos marinos constituyen un reservorio natural de moléculas con potencialidades terapéuticas para el tratamiento de enfermedades infecciosas en momentos en que se han descrito numerosas cepas resistentes a los antibióticos convencionales. Objetivo: comparar 3 soluciones: ácido acético 30 %, metanol 50 % y salina-ácida...

Cuba is one of the richest places in malacological fauna in the world, especially in land snails, hosting a high degree of endemism. A study on the distribution of freshwater molluscs that occur within the limits of protected areas was carried out. The objective was to determine the status of the endemic species and the potential threats of introdu...

OBJETIVO: el estudio se realizó en el municipio Yaguajay, provincia Sancti Spíritus con la finalidad de identificar las especies de moluscos presentes en los ecosistemas fluviales, así como su distribución y abundancia en cada reservorio. MÉTODOS: se analizaron los años 2005 y 2006, mediante 2 muestreos por año, que abarcaron tanto el período lluvi...

INTRODUCCIÓN: se realizaron estudios ecológicos sobre las poblaciones de moluscos de importancia médico-veterinaria con énfasis en las especies hospederas de Fasciola hepatica . OBJETIVOS: determinar la abundancia relativa de las poblaciones, así como el posible uso de algunas especies competidoras en el control biológico de hospederos intermediari...

A study was carried out to determine the distribution and habitat preferences of several species of the genus Biomphalaria. Samples were taken at 350 freshwater locations in Cuba. Three species of Biomphalaria (Biomphalaria havanensis, Biomphalaria helophila and Biomphalaria pallida) were recorded based on their distribution. Of the three species,...

The freshwater species, Hemisinus brevis (Thiaridae), is one Cuba's endemic snails. Reports of this species date from decades ago in the province of Pinar del Río, Cuba. Since then it had never been found again and it was thought that competition effects from other snails had driven it to extinction. Several living specimens of this species were re...

INTRODUCCIÓN: estudios recientes en Cuba con colofonia, resina extraída a partir de Pinus caribeae y Pinus tropicalis , han demostrado su actividad molusquicida sobre Biomphalaria havanensis , hospedero intermediario de esquistosomosis. OBJETIVO: determinar la influencia de la colofonia sobre la actividad cardiaca y sobre la eclosión de los huevos...

INTRODUCCIÓN: se realizó un estudio sobre la ecología de las 2 especies de moluscos lymnaeidos de Cuba. Ambas especies son capaces de servir como hospederos intermediarios de Fasciola hepatica y existen en la mayoría de los ecosistemas de humedales. OBJETIVO: determinar la distribución y la preferencias de hábitat de Fossaria cubensis y Pseudosucci...

Fascioliasis, an emerging parasitic infection, impacts significantly on both veterinary and human health worldwide. Endemic foci are not limited only to areas of extensive livestock farming, but owing to the parasite's abilities to colonise new intermediate hosts and adapt to new environments, also occur in other places, including Cuba. In Cuba, de...

INTRODUCCIÓN: se realizó un estudio ecológico sobre la diversidad en poblaciones de moluscos de importancia médica, para mostrar la importancia de los cambios en la diversidad sobre el comportamiento de estas en diferentes ecosistemas. OBJETIVO: determinar qué cambios en las abundancias de las poblaciones hacían que variara la diversidad. MÉTODOS:...

INTRODUCCIÓN: la ausencia de poblaciones de moluscos en el entorno ecológico y natural de las pináceas, observada en estudios de campo, conllevó a estudiar la resina de pino, colofonia, como control del molusco Biomphalaria havanensis , hospedero intermediario de Schistosoma mansoni . OBJETIVO: determinar la acción molusquicida de la colofonia para...