One Health insights into local transmission of zoonotic Schistosoma mattheei in southern Malawi.

Abstract

Schistosoma mattheei is a zoonotic schistosome species in central and southern Africa and is of increasing public health concern in southern Malawi. To gain insight into its local transmission, we investigated the biology of Schistosoma mattheei in southern Malawi, integrating epidemiological, environmental and genetic data within a One Health framework. Cattle, goats, humans and snails were surveyed, with DNA barcoding revealing nine mitochondrial S. mattheei haplotypes. Two haplotypes were shared across species, indicating cross-host transmission. Infected snails were detected year-round, with seasonal variation linked to vegetation cover (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)). Praziquantel (40 mg kg-1) treatment in selected cattle herds reduced infection prevalence over 12 weeks. These findings highlight the zoonotic potential of S. mattheei and the need for integrated control strategies. This article is part of the Royal Society Science+ meeting issue 'Parasite evolution and impact in action: exploring the importance and control of hybrid schistosomes in Africa and beyond'.