Characteristics of sodium pentachlorophenate used against Australorbis glabratus in Puerto Rico

This article describes laboratory evaluations, followed by field tests, of the effectiveness of sodium pentachlorophenate against Australorbis glabratus, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni. Results within a range of different concentrations and at various periods of exposure were assessed in relation to both adults and ova. Since the effectiveness of molluscicide in natural snail-breeding areas is affected by the quantity of ponded water and the discharge rate, streams were classified to facilitate comparison of the findings from field tests. Different methods of application (in briquettes and by spraying) were tried under various conditions, and the influence of factors such as light, size of particles at stream-bottoms, and pH was investigated.