Non-human vertebrate hosts of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni.

The author reviews the results of experimental infections of various species of mammals, other than man, with S. haematobium and S. mansoni, and discusses investigations in Africa and Brazil into the possibility of the natural infection of non-human vertebrates with these two parasites. Only a few species, besides monkeys, could be easily infected with S. haematobium in the laboratory, while-outside man-natural infection with this parasite appears to be practically non-existent. On the other hand, many animals are good experimental hosts for S. mansoni, and at least 21 species of mammals have been found infected with this parasite in Africa and America. It is thus possible to state, provisionally, that man is the only reservoir of S. haematobium, but the question still remains open where S. mansoni is concerned. Further research is suggested in order to assess the importance of non-human reservoirs in the epidemiology of bilharziasis.