Rhabditis axei (Nematoda: Oxyuridae) infection among terrestrial snails in Southern Nigeria

Terrestrial snails, Archachatina marginata ovum, Archachatina papyracea and Limicolaria aurora collected from different localities in Cross River, Edo and Kogi States were examined for parasitic infections. Some 235 (31.8%) of the 740 snails examined were infected with the nematode Rhabditis axei . The prevalences of infection were 41.8% for A. marginata ovum , 23.3% for A. papyraceae , and 10.1% for L. aurora ; 70.2% of the infected snails were A. marginata ovum , 22.6% A. papyracea and 7.2% L. aurora . This study revealed that size of snails had influence on the prevalence of infection, as the bigger snail species, A. marginata ovum were more infected. Small size A. marginata ovum had a mean worm burden of 3.48 worms per infected snail, whereas the big-size snails had a mean worm burden of 0.51 worms per infected snail. This study also showed that location of sampling and season had a significant influence on prevalence of infection in L. aurora . For A. marginata ovum however, only site of sampling impacted on the prevalence of infection significantly. Though the percentage of infected A. marginata ovum increased with increased rainfall, the relationship was not significant. Infection as recorded in this report occurred mostly in the mantle and digestive gland of the snail. The study is indicative that A. marginata ovum, A. papyracea and L. aurora collected from various study sites in Cross River, Edo and Kogi States in Nigeria are definitive hosts to the nematode R. axei . Keywords: Archachatina marginata, Limicolaria aurora, Rhabditis axei , snails The Zoologist, 10:1-5 (2012)