Assessment of Parasitologic and ecologic aspects of melanoids snails in Bandar Abbas Iran

Melanoids was previously found in Hormozgan province. In Khuzestan province up to 2.9% of these snails were infected to cercaria of trematodes but there was not any report about its parasitologic aspects in Hormozgan province. This study was performed to find ecological and paeasitological aspects of Melanoides tuberculata in Hormozgan province south of Iran. In this deh1ive study 223 snails were collected from 6 points in Bandar Abbas district. Upon diagnosis of 208 snails as Melanoides tuberculata in laboratory they were crushed and their probable cercaria was checked out by a dissecting microscope. The data were analyzed using Geographic Information System (GIS) and other ecological information of the region. From 208 Melanoids snails 43 cases (20.67%) were infected with trematodes larval stage. These cercarias were classified as Gymnocephalus and Xiphydiocarcaria. It is possible that in special situations these parasites infect the people