{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T00:10:01Z","timestamp":1774570201070,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]],"date-time":"2025-04-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744156800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["81971957"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81971957"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Following the exciting announcement that Anhui Province, one of the historically most heavily <jats:italic>Schistosoma japonicum<\/jats:italic> endemic regions in China, has been officially declared to have achieved the goal of province-wide transmission interruption of schistosomiasis, we raise two concerns that merit further consideration. Firstly, <jats:italic>S. japonicum<\/jats:italic> is zoonotic, and in China it is known that humans, livestock, and wild animals such as rodents are major reservoirs of infection. While <jats:italic>S. japonicum<\/jats:italic> infections both in humans and bovines have recently been reduced to zero prevalence, infection persists at moderate to high levels within rodents with, for example, prevalence\u2019s reported of up to 12.81% within Anhui Province over last 5 years. Therefore, surveillance of schistosome infections in wild animals, at least in rodents, must be included in the criteria of verifying transmission interruption or elimination in China. Secondly, regarding how the official procedure of verification of transmission of interruption was assessed, we propose that a more accurate survey design and foci selection would be based, at least in part, upon areas where schistosome infections in either humans, domestic\/wild animals and\/or snails have recently been documented. This is particularly urgent, not only in terms of the long-term sustainability of disease control in China, but because many other countries are now fully acknowledging the zoonotic potential of schistosomiasis and are\/or will soon enter this final elimination phase as officially outlined in the WHO\u2019s 2021\u20132030 Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012996","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]],"date-time":"2025-04-09T17:34:37Z","timestamp":1744220077000},"page":"e0012996","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Verifying interruption of transmission or elimination of Schistosoma japonicum must consider schistosome infections in wild rodents"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Qing","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Han-Xiang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yu-Xin","family":"Qi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joanne P.","family":"Webster","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6396-9033","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Da-Bing","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2\u20133","key":"pntd.0012996.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actatropica.2005.07.005","article-title":"The public health significance and control of schistosomiasis in China\u2014then and now","volume":"96","author":"X-N Zhou","year":"2005","journal-title":"Acta Trop"},{"key":"pntd.0012996.ref002","author":"Anhui Health Commission","year":"2023"},{"issue":"28","key":"pntd.0012996.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11457","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1221509110","article-title":"Identifying host species driving transmission of schistosomiasis japonica, a multihost parasite system, in China","volume":"110","author":"JW Rudge","year":"2013","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"key":"pntd.0012996.ref004","article-title":"Progress of schistosomiasis control in People\u2019s Republic of China in 2023","author":"L Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Chin J Schistosomiasis Control"},{"issue":"9","key":"pntd.0012996.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0008652","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0008652","article-title":"Meta-analyses of Schistosoma japonicum infections in wild rodents across China over time indicates a potential challenge to the 2030 elimination targets","volume":"14","author":"H-Y Zou","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"4","key":"pntd.0012996.ref006","first-page":"228","article-title":"Investigation on the prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infection in wild rodents in Guichi District, Chizhou City from 2020 to 2022","volume":"21","author":"J Dai","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Trop Dis Parasitol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0012996.ref007","first-page":"349","article-title":"Investigation on prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections in wild rodents in Ma\u2019anshan City","volume":"21","author":"Z Fan","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Trop Dis Parasitol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0012996.ref008","first-page":"622","article-title":"Investigation on prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections in wild rodents in Shitai County, Anhui Province, 2018","volume":"34","author":"J He","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin J Schisto Control"},{"issue":"5","key":"pntd.0012996.ref009","first-page":"257","article-title":"Preliminary observation on the efficacy to check infection source of schistosomiasis by controlling wild rodents","volume":"20","author":"J He","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Trop Dis Parasitol"},{"issue":"5","key":"pntd.0012996.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0010389","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0010389","article-title":"Diagnosis of Schistosoma infection in non-human animal hosts: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"16","author":"S Liang","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0012996.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2278","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.20-0282","article-title":"Identification of Schistosoma mansoni infection in a nonhuman primate from St. Kitts more than 50 years after interruption of human transmission","volume":"103","author":"JK Ketzis","year":"2020","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg"},{"issue":"7","key":"pntd.0012996.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"565","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2016.04.007","article-title":"Global patterns of zoonotic disease in mammals","volume":"32","author":"BA Han","year":"2016","journal-title":"Trends Parasitol"},{"issue":"22","key":"pntd.0012996.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7039","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1501598112","article-title":"Rodent reservoirs of future zoonotic diseases","volume":"112","author":"BA Han","year":"2015","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"1","key":"pntd.0012996.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1017\/S003118200999103X","article-title":"Contrasting reservoirs for Schistosoma japonicum between marshland and hilly regions in Anhui, China\u2014a two-year longitudinal parasitological survey","volume":"137","author":"D-B Lu","year":"2010","journal-title":"Parasitology"},{"issue":"8","key":"pntd.0012996.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e781","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0000781","article-title":"Transmission of Schistosoma japonicum in marshland and hilly regions of China: parasite population genetic and sibship structure","volume":"4","author":"D-B Lu","year":"2010","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"14","key":"pntd.0012996.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1581","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpara.2009.06.003","article-title":"Evolution in a multi-host parasite: chronobiological circadian rhythm and population genetics of Schistosoma japonicum cercariae indicates contrasting definitive host reservoirs by habitat","volume":"39","author":"D-B Lu","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int J Parasitol"},{"issue":"10","key":"pntd.0012996.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2134","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-294X.2009.04181.x","article-title":"Parasite genetic differentiation by habitat type and host species: molecular epidemiology of Schistosoma japonicum in hilly and marshland areas of Anhui Province, China","volume":"18","author":"JW Rudge","year":"2009","journal-title":"Mol Ecol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0012996.ref018","first-page":"580","article-title":"Comparison of pathogenicity and gene expression profiles between adult Schistosoma japonicum isolated from hilly and marshland and lake regions of Anhui Province","volume":"34","author":"JL Wu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za Zhi"},{"key":"pntd.0012996.ref019","volume-title":"Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021\u20132030","author":"WHO","year":"2020"},{"issue":"11","key":"pntd.0012996.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e327","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(22)00221-3","article-title":"Review of 2022 WHO guidelines on the control and elimination of schistosomiasis","volume":"22","author":"NC Lo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"issue":"5","key":"pntd.0012996.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0009373","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0009373","article-title":"New global targets for NTDs in the WHO roadmap 2021-2030","volume":"15","author":"A Casulli","year":"2021","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"2","key":"pntd.0012996.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1111\/eva.12341","article-title":"One health - an ecological and evolutionary framework for tackling neglected zoonotic diseases","volume":"9","author":"JP Webster","year":"2016","journal-title":"Evol Appl"},{"issue":"1887","key":"pntd.0012996.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20220274","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2022.0274","article-title":"Reaching the World Health Organization elimination targets for schistosomiasis: the importance of a One Health perspective","volume":"378","author":"AV D\u00edaz","year":"2023","journal-title":"Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci"},{"issue":"3","key":"pntd.0012996.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"429","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/jiy029","article-title":"Rodents as natural hosts of zoonotic Schistosoma species and hybrids: an epidemiological and evolutionary perspective from West Africa","volume":"218","author":"S Catalano","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Infect Dis"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0012996.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1234","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2606.200107","article-title":"Multihost transmission of Schistosoma mansoni in Senegal, 2015-2018","volume":"26","author":"S Catalano","year":"2020","journal-title":"Emerg Infect Dis"},{"issue":"1719","key":"pntd.0012996.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20160091","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2016.0091","article-title":"Who acquires infection from whom and how? Disentangling multi-host and multi-mode transmission dynamics in the \u201celimination\u201d era","volume":"372","author":"JP Webster","year":"2017","journal-title":"Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci"},{"issue":"18","key":"pntd.0012996.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8931","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1815046116","article-title":"Environmental DNA for improved detection and environmental surveillance of schistosomiasis","volume":"116","author":"ME Sengupta","year":"2019","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"10","key":"pntd.0012996.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0009877","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0009877","article-title":"Development of a novel real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the sensitive detection of Schistosoma japonicum in human stool","volume":"15","author":"S Halili","year":"2021","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"issue":"41","key":"pntd.0012996.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2110711118","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2110711118","article-title":"Spillover, hybridization, and persistence in schistosome transmission dynamics at the human-animal interface","volume":"118","author":"A Borlase","year":"2021","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"}],"container-title":["PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012996","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]],"date-time":"2025-04-09T17:34:44Z","timestamp":1744220084000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012996"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Song","family":"Liang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012996","relation":{},"ISSN":["1935-2735"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1935-2735","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,9]]}}}