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Distribution and Prevalence of Schistosome Infection among Intermediate Snail Hosts in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review
Tamirat Hailegebriel1, Negash Kabtimer2
1Department of Biology, College of Science, Bahir Dar University, P. O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. tamiratbdu@gmail.com.
Purpose:
Schistosomiasis is a water related parasitic disease with significant public health importance in tropical regions. This study aimed to determine the geographical distributions of Biomphalaria and Bulinus snails and to determine the prevalence of schistosome infection among Biomphalaria snails in Ethiopia.
Methods:
a systematic literature search was conducted in public online databases namely Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct, which report on Biomphalaria and Bulinus snails in Ethiopia and were published between 2000 and October 2025. Geographical mapping of the snail distribution was performed via AcriGIS online software. The pooled prevalence of schistosome infection was determined via a random effects model, and heterogeneity across studies was assessed using the I2 statistic. Data analysis was conducted using Stata software version 14 with the 'metan' command.
Results:
A total of 19,659 snails were reported in the eligible studies, of which 81.4% (15,997) were Biomphalaria and 18.6% (5,662) were Bulinus snails. The geographical distributions of the two snail genera showed substantial overlap, with most studies conducted in Amhara, Oromia and Sidama regional states. Among the collected snails 8852 Biomphalaria snails and 1538 Bulinus snails were examined for schistosome infections using cercarial shedding techniques. The pooled prevalence of schistosome infection among Biomphalaria snails was 9.25% (95% CI: 5.87-12.64), whereas none of the examined Bulinus shed schistosome cercariae. Although eleven types of cercariae were reported across the eligible studies, schistosome cercariae were the most frequently detected.
Conclusion:
This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that Biomphalaria and Bulinus snails were widely distributed across Ethiopia, with considerable geographical overlap. This study revealed that about 9% of the tested Biomphalaria snails were infected with schistosomes. This finding underscores the importance of incorporating snail-targeted control strategies alongside ongoing preventive chemotherapy to effectively reduce schistosomiasis in Ethiopia.
