Pseudosuccinea columella (Say 1817) (Gastropoda, Lymnaeidae), snail host of Fasciola hepatica: first record for France in the wild.

The lymnaeid snail Pseudosuccinea columella has shown strong invasive capabilities in the last decades, and this species has now a worldwide distribution. So far, the presence of this snail in Europe was restricted to botanical gardens, but the recent discovery of a few specimens along the banks of the Lot River, southwestern France is the first record of this species in the wild. The first generation of this P. columella isolate obtained in the laboratory was used for parasitological tests with a French Fasciola hepatica sample. Experimental infections showed that 100% of snails (n=26) developed infection when exposed to F. hepatica miracidia. Consequences for the epidemiology of F. hepatica transmission in France are discussed.