Effect of various foods on Biomphalaria alexandrina and Bulinus truncatus and their susceptibility to schistosome miracidia.

The tested foods are tropical fish food (tetramine), rat food, blue green algae, dried lettuce leaves and a mixture of all these foods. The results indicated that feeding of B. alexandrina on a mixture of foods increased their growth and survival rates and their susceptibility to S. mansoni. Tetramine elevated the egg-laying capacity of snails compared to other tested foods. The hatchability of eggs of B. alexandrina fed on algae for a period of 16 weeks showed the highest rate followed by snails fed on a mixture of foods and then tetramine. B. truncatus maintained on a mixture of foods for 16 weeks, exhibited an increase in their growth, egg-laying, survival rates and recorded the highest infection rate with S. haematobium than other foods. Among the used foods, the hatchability of eggs of B. truncatus fed on tetramine for 16 weeks was the highest one.