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Development of molecular tools in Lymnaea stagnalis, a model for trematode intermediate host snails Ciaran Lonergan (24234056) PUREID: 688942778 Trematodes are disease causing parasites characterised by their flat, symmetrical bodies and are more commonly referred to as ‘flukes’. Flukes are a serious health and economic burden worldwide, a concern that continues to grow with climate change. Flukes, particularly those of veterinary relevance in Ireland and the UK, such as Fasciola hepatica, require a snail intermediate host essential to their life cycle. Typically, the intermediate host is Galba truncatula, however it proves difficult to rear and lacks genomic resources or any significant published functional genomic work to date. Therefore, this project utilised Lymnaea stagnalis, a model snail which serves as host to as many as 100 trematode parasites. L. stagnalis also provides a published genome and a starting point for functional genomic work with literature of RNAi and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 available. There is an urgent need to develop alternative control techniques for trematode infections, given growing resistance to anthelmintics, limited diagnostics and limited success of non-chemotherapeutic prevention techniques. One area of interest for the control of trematodes includes the snail intermediate host, which can be exploited to disrupt the life cycle of various trematodes, such as the key veterinary parasite F. hepatica. Using L. stagnalis, this thesis aimed to develop the molecular toolbox in trematode snail intermediate hosts. Ultimately, the goal is to contribute to expanding current RNAi and CRISPR literature which can be used to identify key targets for novel control strategies, as well as enhancing our current understanding of snail intermediate hosts. 2026-10-01T16:08:46Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32826338.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Development_of_molecular_tools_in_Lymnaea_stagnalis_a_model_for_trematode_intermediate_host_snails/32826338 All Rights Reserved