Oncomelania hupensis snail control by chemical treatment is an important approach for control and elimination of snails, and an appropriate apparatus for spraying chemicals is an important support to molluscicidal effects. Nevertheless, the research and evaluation of molluscicidal apparatuses have not been paid high attention in the schistosomiasis control programme for a long period of time. Currently, agricultural plant-protective apparatuses have been widely used for chemical treatment. This comment provides a short overview of the application of drones in O. hupensis snail control by chemical treatment, and proposes suggestions for solving the problems of use of drones in O. hupensis snail control by chemical treatment in China.
Objective: To investigate the Oncomelania hupensis snails spread and its spatio-temporal clustering characteristics in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province from 2016 to 2023, so as to provide insights into precision control of O. hupensis snails in the City.
Methods: O. hupensis snail surveillance data in Suzhou City from 2016 to 2023 were collected, and the areas of O. hupensis snail spread and areas of emerging and re-emerging snail habitats were retrieved. The spatial distribution characteristics and clustering types and locations of environments with O. hupensis snail spread were investigated using global and local spatial auto correlation analyses with the software ArcGIS 10.7, and the clustering and cluster areas of O. hupensis snail spread were identified in Suzhou City using spatio-temporal scans with the software SaTScan 10.0.2.
Results: O. hupensis snail spread covered an area of 677 171 m2 in Suzhou City from 2016 to 2023, including 376 230 m2 emerging snail habitats and 300 941 m2 re-emerging snail habitats. Global spatial autocorrelation analysis showed overall clustering of O. hupensis snail spread in Suzhou City from 2016 to 2023 (Moran's I = 0.066, P = 0.007), and there were spatial clustering of areas with O. hupensis snail spread in 2019 (Moran's I = 0.086, P = 0.001) and 2021 (Moran's I = 0.045, P = 0.003). Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed clusters of O. hupensis snail spread in Suzhou City from 2016 to 2023, with high-high clusters in Guangfu Township and Dongzhu Street, and the high-high clusters of O. hupensis snail spread were mainly distributed in southwestern Suzhou City. Spatio-temporal scans identified two clusters of areas with O. hupensis snail spread and areas of re-emerging snail habitats in Suzhou City from 2016 to 2023, with large clustering areas found in Guangfu Township, Dongzhu Street, Tong'an Township and Wangting Township [relative risk (RR) = 22.34, log likelihood ratio (LLR) = 163 295.32, P < 0.001] and small clustering areas in Xukou Township, Mudu Township and Xiangshan Street (RR = 2.73, LLR = 921.92, P < 0.001).
Conclusions: There was spatial clustering of O. hupensis snail spread in Suzhou City from 2016 to 2023. Improved quality of O. hupensis snail control and intensified management of environments at a high risk of O. hupensis snail spread are recommended in Suzhou City.
Objective: To examine the effect of patient-centered care services on compliance to treatment among patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), so as to provide the scientific evidence for promoting the widespread application of the appropriate nursing process of MDR/RR-PTB patients in the hospital.
Methods: The MDR/RR-PTB patients that were definitely diagnosed at the Sixth People's Hospital of Nantong City during the period from January 2017 to October 2020 were enrolled. The patients with confirmed diagnosis of MDR/RR-PTB during the period January 2017 to December 2018 served as controls, who were given routine care in the hospital, and those with confirmed diagnosis of MDR/RR-PTB during the period January 2019 to October 2020 served as the care group, who were given patient-centered personalized care services, including one-to-one consultations, periodic group activities, informatization case management, and personal reminder for return visits. The proportion of inclusion into treatment, loss to follow-up, return visits and sputum examinations were compared between the care and control groups.
Results: A total of 104 MDR/RR-PTB patients were included, including 54 cases in the control group and 50 cases in the care group. There was no significant difference in gender and age distribution between the two groups (χ2 = 3.013, 1.336, P > 0.05). The proportion of inclusion into treatment was higher in the care group (100.00%, 50/50) than in the control group (87.04%, 47/54) (P = 0.013), and the proportion of loss to follow-up was lower in the care group (0, 0/43) than in the control group (19.05%, 8/42) (P = 0.002). In addition, the overall proportion of return visits was higher in the care group (93.09%, 377/405) than in the control group (83.56%, 371/444) (χ2 = 18.345, P < 0.001), and the proportion of sputum examinations was higher in the care group was (83.70%, 339/405) than in the control group (79.28%, 352/444) (χ2 = 2.737, P = 0.098).
Conclusions: Patient-centered care services facilitate the improvements in the proportion of inclusion into treatment and compliance to treatment and reduction in the proportion of loss to follow-up among MDR/RR-PTB patients, which deserves widespread applications.
Objective: To evaluate the molluscicidal effect of spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones against of Oncomelania hupensis snails in snail habitats in marshland areas.
Methods: From September to October, 2022, marshlands were sampled from Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province as study areas, and assigned into four groups, of approximately 3 000 m2 per group. In Group A, environmental cleaning was performed, followed by spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with knapsack sprayers at a dose of 40 g/m2, and in Group B, 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules were sprayed with knapsack sprayers at a dose of 40 g/m2 without environmental cleaning, while in Group C, environmental cleaning was conducted, followed by spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones at a dose of 40 g/m2, and in Group D, 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules were sprayed with drones at a dose of 40 g/m2 without environmental cleaning. Then, the study areas in each group were equally divided into six blocks, with Block 1 for baseline surveys and blocks 2 to 6 for snail surveys 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days following chemical treatment. The mortality of snails and the reduction of the density of living snails were calculated.
Results: A total of 132 frames were surveyed during the period from September to October 2022, and the occurrence of frames with living snails and means density of living snails were 61.36% (81/132) and 1.58 snails/0.1 m2, respectively. The overall mortality rates of snails were 43.02% (77/179), 38.69% (77/199), 47.78% (86/180) and 31.02% (58/187) 14 days following chemical treatment in groups A, B, C and D, respectively (χ2 = 11.646, P < 0.05), and there were differences detected in the snail mortality between group A and D, and between groups C and D (both Padjusted values < 0.05). The adjusted mortality rates of snails were 37.42%, 36.07%, 38.85% and 40.40% in groups A, B, C and D 14 days post-treatment, and the density of living snails decreased by 48.10%, 63.29%, 67.09% and 69.62% 14 days post-treatment relative to pre-treatment, respectively.
Conclusions: Chemical treatment with drones is feasible for O. hupensis snail control in marshland areas; however, the molluscicidal effect of spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones is comparable to spraying chemicals manually in marshland areas regardless of environmental cleaning.
Objective: To investigate the trends in areas of Oncomelania hupensis snail habitats in Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023, so as to provide insights into facilitating the progress of schistosomiasis elimination in the province.
Methods: Areas of O. hupensis snail habitats in Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023 were collected, and the trends in and mutations of O. hupensis snail habitats in Anhui Province, and the trends in O. hupensis snail habitats in different types of schistosomiasis-endemic foci and in different cities of Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023 were analyzed using Mann-Kendall test.
Results: The areas of O. hupensis snail habitats reduced by 12.62% in Anhui Province in 2023 relative to in 2004. Mann-Kendall trend test showed that the areas of O. hupensis snail habitats appeared a tendency towards a decline in Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023 (Z = -3.926, P < 0.001, β = -215.66), with an annual average reduction of 215.66 hm2. Mann-Kendall mutation test showed that the areas of O. hupensis snail habitats appeared a tendency towards a decline in Anhui Province since 2015 (|Z| > U0.05, P < 0.05). The areas of O. hupensis snail habitats appeared a tendency towards a decline in marshland and lake regions (Z = -4.899, P < 0.001, β = -260.13), and a tendency towards a rise in hilly regions of Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023 (Z = 2.758, P < 0.01, β = 44.55). Among 9 cities endemic for schistosomiasis in Anhui Province, the areas of O. hupensis snail habitats appeared a tendency towards a decline in 5 cities of Ma'anshan, Tongling, Anqing, Huangshan and Chizhou (Z = -4.056 to -2.109, all P values < 0.05, β = -92.12 to -0.45). The average constituent ratios of areas of O. hupensis snail habitats were 88.19% and 11.81% in marshland and lake regions and hilly regions of Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023, respectively, and the ratio of areas of O. hupensis snail habitats in marshland and lake regions to areas of snail habitats in hilly regions reduced from 9.23∶1 in 2004 to 5.74∶1 in 2023 in Anhui Province, with the ratio appearing a tendency towards a decline (Z = -4.477, P < 0.001, β = -0.16).
Conclusions: The areas of O. hupensis snail habitats appeared a tendency towards a decline in Anhui Province from 2004 to 2023, with a reduction in areas of O. hupensis snail habitats in marshland and lake regions and a rise in hilly regions. Targeted O. hupensis snail control interventions are required tailored to real snail status.