TY - JOUR TI - Antagonism between parasites within snail hosts impacts the transmission of human schistosomiasis AU - Laidemitt, Martina R AU - Anderson, Larissa C AU - Wearing, Helen J AU - Mutuku, Martin W AU - Mkoji, Gerald M AU - Loker, Eric S A2 - Rohr, Jason A2 - Ferguson, Neil M A2 - Webster, Bonnie A2 - De Leo, Giulio VL - 8 PY - 2019 DA - 2019/12/17 SP - e50095 C1 - eLife 2019;8:e50095 DO - 10.7554/eLife.50095 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.50095 AB - Human disease agents exist within complex environments that have underappreciated effects on transmission, especially for parasites with multi-host life cycles. We examined the impact of multiple host and parasite species on transmission of the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni in Kenya. We show S. mansoni is impacted by cattle and wild vertebrates because of their role in supporting trematode parasites, the larvae of which have antagonistic interactions with S. mansoni in their shared Biomphalaria vector snails. We discovered the abundant cattle trematode, Calicophoron sukari, fails to develop in Biomphalaria pfeifferi unless S. mansoni larvae are present in the same snail. Further development of S. mansoni is subsequently prevented by C. sukari’s presence. Modeling indicated that removal of C. sukari would increase S. mansoni-infected snails by two-fold. Predictable exploitation of aquatic habitats by humans and their cattle enable C. sukari to exploit S. mansoni, thereby limiting transmission of this human pathogen. KW - schistosomiasis KW - antagonism KW - trematode biodiversity KW - pastoralism KW - neglected tropical diseases KW - Schistosoma mansoni JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -