Schistosomiasis in Senegal

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Schistosomiasis is a flatworm transmitted from freshwater snails to humans in the tropics. In addition to this infectious disease, tropical developing countries are faced with malnutrition. We propose to alter pesticide and compost use to reduce schistosomiasis and maintain or even improve crop production.

Detailed Description
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We propose two types of manipulations. Bottom-up manipulations will affect snail resources, whereas top-down manipulations will affect snail predators. For the bottom-up manipulations, we will clear schistosoma infections in school children, then remove the primary habitat for snails, the submerged macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum (with proper unmanipulated controls), compost it, apply it to crops, and then quantify reinfection rates and crop yields. The second bottom-up manipulation will be to clear schistosoma infections in school children, apply three agrochemical treatments (status quo control, shift to lower risk herbicides, or eliminate herbicides and fertilizers), and then quantify reinfection rates and crop yields. Farmers will be compensated for any loss in yields. For the top-down manipulations, every village will receive prawns that depredate snails. We will clear schistosoma infections in school children, apply three agrochemical treatments (status quo control, shift to lower risk insecticides that don't kill prawns, or eliminate insecticides), and then quantify reinfection rates and crop yields. Farmers will be compensated for any loss in yields.

Official Title
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EID: Using Community Ecology Theory to Predict the Effects of Agricultural Expansion and Intensification on Infections of Humans: Implications for Sustainable Agriculture

Conditions
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Schistosomiasis

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Bottom-up intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: School age children Exclusion Criteria: Non-school age children

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 5 Years
Maximum Age: 17 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Status quo<br>Status quo pesticide use | |
| Active Comparator: Low risk<br>Villages shifted to low risk pesticides that don't kill prawns | Other: Bottom-up intervention<br>* Some interventions are bottom-up, where we manipulate the resources of snails and some are top-down, where we manipulate the predators of snails.<br>* Other names: Top-down intervention;|
| Experimental: No agrochemicals<br>Villages that eliminate agrochemicals | Other: Bottom-up intervention<br>* Some interventions are bottom-up, where we manipulate the resources of snails and some are top-down, where we manipulate the predators of snails.<br>* Other names: Top-down intervention;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Schistosomiasis reinfection rate | Schistosomiasis reinfection rate | One year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crop yields | Crop yields | One year |