Biological activity of artemisinin-naphthoquine phosphate on Schistosoma haematobium stages and the vector Bulinus truncatus.

Background: Schistosoma haematobium infection is a major public health problem in most of Africa and the Middle East and praziquantel remains the only drug used for schistosomiasis control, therefore emergence of drug resistance is unavoidable. The antimalarial artemisinin-naphthoquine phosphate combination (co-ArNp) was recently documented to have promising effects on Schistosoma mansoni and its snail host.

Methods: We conducted this in vitro study to assess the bioactivity of co-ArNp on S.

ECHINOCHASMUS, NEW SPECIES (TREMATODA: ECHINOSTOMATIDAE) FROM EGYPT.

In this study a new species of Echinochasnius (Dietz, 1909) is recorded for the first time in Egypt. Life cycle of one of gymnocephalous cercariae procured from Melanoides tuberculata snail was successfully completed in the laboratory. A total of 407 Melanoides tuberculata snails were collected from Mansouriya Canal, Giza Governorate.

Description of two new cercariae (an echinostome cercaria and a xiphidiocercaria) procured from Biomphalaria pfeifferi (Krauss) from Nigeria.

During parasitological examination of Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails obtained from Niger state (Nigeria), 2 new types of cercariae were found. They are identified to the level of referring to the major group and described here for the first time. They were examined viable and stained with vital stains as well as fixed in 70% alcohol.

Spotlight on the in vitro effect of artemisinin-naphthoquine phosphate on Schistosoma mansoni and its snail host Biomphalaria alexandrina.

Malaria and schistosomiasis are the two most important parasitic diseases in the tropics and sub-tropics with geographic overlap. Efforts have been made for developing new schistosomicidal drugs, or testing existing drugs originally used for non-related diseases. The antimalarial artemisinin-naphthoquine phosphate combination (CO-ArNp) was recently reported to be a promising novel antischistosomal therapy with potent in vivo activity against Schistosoma mansoni.