By Helen Briggs BBC News
16 May 2017
Scientists have decoded the
genome of a snail involved in the spread of a deadly parasitic disease.
They say the information will
help in the fight against schistosomiasis,
an infection caused by a parasitic worm that lives in streams and ponds.
The disease affects millions of
people a year in sub-tropical and tropical regions.
More than 100 researchers from
around the world have unlocked the DNA secrets of a snail that transmits the
parasite.
They say it will help in the
understanding of the snail's biology, including new ways to stop the parasite
spreading to people.
"Having the knowledge means
we can progress at a much faster pace at understanding the disease and reducing
the number of people infected," said Dr Joanna Bridger of the University
of Brunel, a co-researcher on the study.
The snail (Biomphalaria glabrata)
is found in South America.
Related snails are responsible
for transmitting the parasite in sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases occur.
People become infected when
larval forms of the parasite - released by freshwater snails - penetrate the
skin in contaminated water.
In the body, the larvae develop
into adult worms, which live in the blood vessels and release eggs.
Some of the eggs are passed out
of the body to continue the parasite's lifecycle.
Others become trapped in body
tissues, causing damage to organs.
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