Abstract:
Reports of snails’ resistance to niclosamide appeared recently and finding new molluscicides
becomes necessary. We investigated the molluscicidal effects of Cucurbita maxima seed extracts
on Biomphalaria pfeifferi, and Bulinus globosus snails under laboratory conditions. For B. pfeifferi, we
tested seed extracts on juvenile and adult snails while only adult B. globosus were available for testing.
Snails were exposed to water and crude ethanol extracts for 72 h and significant concentrationdependent
mortality rates were observed. The number of B. pfeifferi juveniles collected was not
enough for a comprehensive investigation against both solvents. We, therefore, tested them against
water extracts only. A lethal concentration of 0.02 mg/mL killed 50% of the snails (LC50) for both
water and ethanol extracts on adult B. pfeifferi snails. Our results suggest that pumpkin seed extracts
have a significant molluscicidal effect on B. pfeifferi and B. globosus snails. The LC50 values for all the
extracts in B. pfeifferi and B. globosus snails are within the threshold set for potential molluscicides by
the World Health Organisation. We propose that C.maxima seed extracts be considered as potential
molluscicidal agents in Schistosomiasis transmission control.
