Ecotoxicity assays in the evaluation of molluskicidal agents from natural products in freshwater mollusks of medical importance: Lack of information and the choice of tested organisms

Abstract

Several natural products have been tested on mollusks of medical importance aiming to control these animals. Diverse scientific groups have demonstrated interest in finding new molluskicides from natural origin. In the literature, many promising studies have examined the molluskicidal activity of natural products on freshwater mollusks with medical importance. We used the keywords "natural products" and "molluskicidal activity" in diverse scientific databanks. A total of 301 articles were found, 25 of which were used in this letter. Most of these articles did not present ecotoxicity test reports. Some studies have reported ecotoxicity assays using nontarget organisms that do not represent freshwater ecosystems. Few articles showed ecotoxicity test reports using appropriate nontarget organisms, and only 1 presented test with more than 1 representative organism. The present work demonstrates the need to realize ecotoxicity tests using representative organisms in studies with natural products on freshwater mollusks of medical importance.