River prawn versus schistosomiasis

Making sure certain rivers are fully stocked with prawns could prove to be an important contribution to fighting schistosomiasis.

The parasitic worm disease, external is endemic in many parts of the tropics and sub-tropics. Africa is a hotspot.

But it’s been shown that prawns will avidly eat the water snails that host the parasite, breaking the cycle of infection that includes people.

The impact was most eloquently demonstrated on the Senegal River, as Susanne Sokolow from Stanford University explained to our correspondent Jonathan Amos.