ABSTRACT Based on the results of our earlier study on pH tolerance of uninfected snails, we conducted further studies on pH tolerance of Biomphalaria glabrata snails infected with Schistosoma mansoni. The metabolic processes of the snails patently infected with S. mansoni are presumably quite different than those of non-infected snails. In methods similar to those used in the previous study, we examined the effects of pH on the lipids of infected snails. Using high performance thin layer chromatography, we found that infected snails, unlike the uninfected ones, showed significant lipid changes within the pH ranges examined. Free fatty acid amounts of the infected snails were significantly greater in deionized (DI) water at pH 10 than those of cohorts maintained in DI water, artificial spring water, and DI water at pH 4.0. We also found that the amounts of triacylglycerols in the infected snails were significantly greater in snails maintained in DI water than in solutions at other pH values.
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