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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Freshwater Science
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1410821

Contaminated Freshwater as a Harbinger of Tropical Disease Spread in Europe

Provisionally accepted
Axelle Costa Axelle Costa 1Hugo Guerrero Hugo Guerrero 1Aurore Sureau Aurore Sureau 1Morgane Tassaint Morgane Tassaint 1RONALDO D. AUGUSTO RONALDO D. AUGUSTO 2*
  • 1 Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, Occitanie, France
  • 2 UMR5244 Interactions Hôtes Pathogènes Environnements (IHPE), Perpignan, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Human-induced environmental changes, including climate change and pollution, significantly affect host-parasite interactions, potentially altering the geographical spread and severity of various parasitic diseases. These changes may particularly influence the dynamics of diseases like schistosomiasis, posing significant public health concerns. This review explores how pollutants such as organophosphate pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, cities' landfills, and microplastics can affect the development and transmission dynamics of parasites, especially Schistosoma spp. Our researches highlight that pesticides promote parasitic disease development, while pharmaceuticals have mixed effects on the life cycles of these parasites. Similarly, heavy metals found in water systems disrupt host-pathogen interactions, and microplastics are linked to significant changes in snail stressor genes, a critical intermediate host for several parasites. With the rising impacts of anthropogenic activity on the environment, there is an urgent need to reassess and adjust regulatory policies to minimize these threats. By studying the implications of pollution on host-parasite interactions, we can develop better strategies for disease control and improve the preservation of our ecosystem's health.

    Keywords: Water Quality, aquatic ecosystems, Environmental parasitology, Schistosoma spp, Chemical pollutants

    Received: 01 Apr 2024; Accepted: 24 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Costa, Guerrero, Sureau, Tassaint and AUGUSTO. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: RONALDO D. AUGUSTO, UMR5244 Interactions Hôtes Pathogènes Environnements (IHPE), Perpignan, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.