Fig. 3
Sporocyst growth dynamics and cercarial production in SmLE (HS) and SmBRE (LS) S. mansoni. a Comparison of the daughter sporocyst developmental kinetics for SmLE (HS) and SmBRE (LS). The proportion of sporocyst cells within snails (Proportionparasite) were quantified by qPCR during 6 weeks of the infection (from week 3 to 8). SmLE (HS) sporocysts grow faster and are more numerous than the SmBRE (LS) ones. b Cercarial shedding profiles of the SmLE (HS) and SmBRE (LS) during the 5 weeks of the patent period (i.e. cercarial shedding time) (weeks 4 to 8). SmLE (HS) parasites produced significantly more cercariae than the SmBRE (LS) parasites. c Ratio calculated by dividing the number of cercariae produced by the proportion of daughter sporocyst cells present in the snail, infected with SmLE (HS) or the SmBRE (LS) population. Differences in proportions of sporocyst within infected snails were not sufficient to explain the difference in cercarial output between the SmLE (HS) and SmBRE (LS) infected snails. *P < 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001