Schistosomiasis Resource Center

The Schistosomiasis Resource Center (SRC) provides three major strains of snails (Biomphalaria glabrata, Bulinus truncatus, and Oncomelania hupensis) and rodents infected with S. haematobium, S. japonicum, and S.mansoni. Molecular reagents include nucleic acids and genomic libraries from the various life cycle stages of the Schistosoma species (cercariae, schistosomula, adult worms and eggs).

More information about this resource is available at Schistosomiasis Resource Center

Main Areas of Focus

  • To foster the development of schistosomiasis research
  • To serve as a backup facility for investigators who have had problems with their own established life cycles

Tools

Materials include:

  • Live and frozen schistosome life cycle stages (adult worms, lung stage schistosomules, eggs, miracidia, and sporocysts)
  • Embryonic snail cell line (B.glabrata)

The catalog of available materials can be found at the Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) and the NIAID-funded BEI Resources Repository.

Standards

The SRC also offers support to the research community:

  • Provides Standard Operating Procedures for working with infected animals
  • Disseminates technical information to laboratories on snail cultivation, parasite collection, and host infection
  • Serves as a backup facility for those investigators who have had problems maintaining life-cycle stages of parasites in their own laboratories

Who Can Use This Resource

  • Any academic, government, or commercial laboratory that is involved in schistosomiasis research and/or teaching can request.
  • Investigators are not required to have an NIH-funded research program to obtain these materials. Investigators new to the schistosomiasis field are especially encouraged to make use of resources from the SRC.
  • There is no charge for materials.
  • Users are asked to acknowledge NIAID support when publications arise from work using materials and/or schistosome life stages provided by the SRC.

How To Get Started

 To order infected snails and mammals or molecular reagents:

  • Register with BEI Resources to request materials. Registered scientists may request reagents through the BEI Resources catalog online. After your registration application has been approved, a login name and password will be sent. Use these to log in to the website and access the catalog and shopping cart.
  • An attempt will be made to fill all requests. The annual limit for quantities of materials is indicated on the requisition. However, justifications for exceeding these quantities may be considered.

To obtain support services, contact the Schistosomiasis Resource Center for:

  • Standard operating procedures for working with infected animals.
  • Technical information on snail cultivation, parasite collection, and host infection.

Assurance to Requestors

  • All information provided to the contractors who provide services will be treated as confidential.​
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