Agrochemicals increase risk of human schistosomiasis by supporting higher densities of intermediate hosts
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne parasitic disease that ranks among the most important water-based diseases of humans in developing countries. Increased prevalence and spread of human schistosomiasis to non-endemic areas has been consistently linked with water resource management related to agricultural expansion. However, the role of agrochemical pollution in human schistosome transmission remains unexplored, despite strong evidence of agrochemicals increasing snail-borne diseases of wildlife and a projected 2- to 5-fold increase in global agrochemical use by 2050. Using a field mesocosm experiment, we show that environmentally relevant concentrations of fertilizer, a herbicide, and an insecticide, individually and as mixtures, increase densities of schistosome-infected snails by increasing the algae snails eat and decreasing densities of snail predators. Epidemiological models indicate that these agrochemical effects can increase transmission of schistosomes. Identifying agricultural practices or agrochemicals that minimize disease risk will be critical to meeting growing food demands while improving human wellbeing.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Neal T. Halstead, Christopher M. Hoover, Arathi Arakala, David J. Civitello, Giulio A. De Leo, Manoj Gambhir, Steve A. Johnson, Nicolas Jouanard, Kristin A. Loerns, Taegan A. McMahon, Raphael A. Ndione, Karena Nguyen, Thomas R. Raffel, Justin V. Remais, Gilles Riveau, Susanne H. Sokolow, Jason R. Rohr
Institutions: University of South Florida, Wildlands Conservation, University of California, Berkeley, Monash University, RMIT University, Emory University, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, IBM Research - Australia, University of Florida, Espoir pour la Sante, University of Tampa, Oakland University, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tampa, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center
Awards: G112169164, G157046932, G181118530, EID Disease in complex communities how multi-host multi-pathogen intreactions, G2450248692, Effects of agricultural expansion and intensification on infections, Analytical methods for estimating the joint climatological-social drivers of water quality and supply in contrasting tropical zones: Ecuador and China, Analytical methods for estimating the joint climatological-social drivers of water quality and supply in contrasting tropical zones: Ecuador and China, G3723552844, Models for improving surveillance of environmentally-mediated infectious diseases, The Influence of Temporal and Spatial Scales on Drivers of Host-Parasite Interactions, G4377207418, G4858989598, G4928299991, CNH: The Coupled Human Health and Environmental Dynamics of Schistosomiasis, G510380278, G5159530824, G5228332870, G6671297155, G7536932440, G8648232956, G8928835126
OpenAlex ID: W2799298642