Centre de Biologie et d'Ecologie Tropicale et Méditerranéenne,UMR 5555 CNRS-UP,Université de Perpignan,52 Avenue de Villeneuve, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France
Abstract:
This paper investigates the relationship between the worm burden and the male proportion of adult Schistosomamansoni. This relationship was tested using data from the literature on S. mansoni experimentally infected rodents and primates. The analyses were performed within each animal model (rat, mouse, hamster and monkey) and showed positive linear relationships between worm burden and male proportion. An analysis between the four animal models showed the same positive linear relationship. The role of the genetic diversity of male and female schistosomes in this relationship is discussed.