Comparative phylogenetic studies on Schistosoma japonicum and its snail intermediate host Oncomelania hupensis : origins, dispersal and coevolution

Schistosoma japonicum causes major public health problems in China and the Philippines; this parasite, which is transmitted by freshwater snails of the species Oncomelania hupen- sis, causes the disease intestinal schistosomiasis in humans and cattle. Researchers work- ing on Schistosoma in Africa have described the relationship between the parasites and their snail intermediate hosts as coevolved or even as an evolutionary arms race. In the present study this hypothesis of coevolution is evaluated for S. japonicum and O. hupensis. The origins and radiation of the snails and the parasite across China, and the taxonomic validity of the sub-species of O. hupensis, are also assessed.