Authors

J Musaya¹;  HUGS Team¹;  ¹ Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme, Malawi

Discussion

Schistosome hybridisation is increasingly reported across Africa, yet its public health significance remains poorly understood. The Hybridisation in UroGenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS) project investigated the occurrence and implications of hybrid schistosomes in endemic settings. We recruited 2,400 participants across two districts in Malawi and applied molecular diagnostics to detect hybrids in humans, snails, livestock and environmental samples. Hybridisation was rated at 7% with Schistosoma haematobium × Schistosoma mattheei predominating and circulating across humans, livestock and intermediate hosts. These introgressed parasites complicate traditional microscopy due to atypical egg morphology and raise concerns about zoonotic transmission undermining mass drug administration strategies. Our findings highlight shared water bodies as hotspots for human–animal–snail transmission and underscore the need to integrate hybrid surveillance and One Health approaches into schistosomiasis control programmes to safeguard elimination gains.