Modelled effects of prawn aquaculture on poverty alleviation and schistosomiasis control

• Published in: Nature sustainability Vol. 2; no. 7; pp. 611 - 620
• Main Authors: Hoover, Christopher M., Sokolow, Susanne H., Kemp, Jonas, Sanchirico, James N., Lund, Andrea J., Jones, Isabel J., Higginson, Tyler, Riveau, Gilles, Savaya, Amit, Coyle, Shawn, Wood, Chelsea L., Micheli, Fiorenza, Casagrandi, Renato, Mari, Lorenzo, Gatto, Marino, Rinaldo, Andrea, Perez-Saez, Javier, Rohr, Jason R., Sagi, Amir, Remais, Justin V., De Leo, Giulio A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-07-2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158/1144; 631/158/1469; 692/699/255/1715; 704/844; 706/134; Aquaculture; Domestication; Earth and Environmental Science; Endemic species; Environment; Parasites; Poverty; Predators; Schistosomiasis; Sustainable Development; Africa
• ISSN: 2398-9629; 2398-9629
• DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0301-7

Recent evidence suggests that snail predators may aid efforts to control the human parasitic disease schistosomiasis by eating aquatic snail species that serve as intermediate hosts of the parasite. Here, potential synergies between schistosomiasis control and aquaculture of giant prawns are evaluated using an integrated bioeconomic–epidemiological model. Combinations of stocking density and aquaculture cycle length that maximize cumulative, discounted profit are identified for two prawn species in sub-Saharan Africa: the endemic, non-domesticated
Macrobrachium vollenhovenii
and the non-native, domesticated
Macrobrachium rosenbergii
. At profit-maximizing densities, both
M. rosenbergii
and
M. vollenhovenii
may substantially reduce intermediate host snail populations and aid schistosomiasis control efforts. Control strategies drawing on both prawn aquaculture to reduce intermediate host snail populations and mass drug administration to treat infected individuals are found to be superior to either strategy alone. Integrated aquaculture-based interventions can be a win–win strategy in terms of health and sustainable development in schistosomiasis endemic regions of the world.
Predators, including prawns, can suppress schistosomiasis by eating snail hosts. This modelling study finds that two prawn species in sub-Saharan Africa can reduce snail hosts and help control schistosomiasis at densities that maximize profits of associated aquaculture—a potential win–win.