Abstract
IN many areas of the world diseases such as schistosomiasis caused by trematodes, still cause misery to millions of people and much damage to livestock. Because a specific mollusc, often a snail, is necessary for the completion of the trematode life cycle, the elimination of that host would eradicate the disease. According to Southgate1 none of the molluscicides currently available is ideal. Among their disadvantages are toxicity to organisms such as fish and the relatively high concentrations required for their effect. Here we describe a naturally occurring population inhibitor from snail cultures which because of its specificity and potency suggests another approach to mollusc control. The data presented below indicate that such substance is produced in cultures of at least two species of snails. Discovery of this inhibitor came about through an investigation into the chemical and physiological basis for the inhibition of population growth which occurs in crowded snail cultures.
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References
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LEVY, M., TUNIS, M. & ISSEROFF, H. Population Control in Snails by Natural Inhibitors. Nature 241, 65–66 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/241065a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/241065a0
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