After being recruited by local veterinarians to help find the source of a parasitic infection in southern California, we identified two species of snails, Galba cubensis and G. humilis in the Colorado River in California. We also identified that some of those snails were indeed carrying Heterobilharzia americana, the fluke that causes canine schistosomiasis. Our finding is the first report of the presence of this flatworm parasite in Southern California.
I worked at Mayflower Park in Blythe on the Colorado River and discovered the possibility of this particular parasite now existing here. The process through the Vet office, left people waiting for results for months. Still no posted warnings in this area.
We are working with the National Parks Service and local communities to spread the word. News organizations are continuing to pick this up; https://nevadacurrent.com/2026/02/10/signs-of-parasite-deadly-to-dogs-found-in-lakes-mead-and-mohave-but-risk-really-low-official-says/
And the National Parks Service is reporting on it as well. So the Park has posted it to their website, but I agree that more can be done to make this visible.
https://www.nps.gov/lake/canine-schistosomiasis.htm