FAQs

Any academic, government, or commercial laboratory that is involved in schistosomiasis research and/or teaching. Simply visit beiresources.org to register to receive molecular reagents, snails and/or infected rodents from the Schistosomiasis Resource Center (SRC). Materials from the SRC are provided at no cost to registered investigators (additional shipping and handling charges may apply).

You are not required to have an NIH-funded research program to obtain these materials. Investigators new to the schistosomiasis field are especially encouraged to make use of resources from the SRC.

Once your registration at BEI Resources is complete, BEI will send the SRC your request. Depending on the species and life-cycle stage you are interested in, the SRC may ship the material 3-4 weeks after receiving the request. Contact Margaret Mentink-Kane, PhD for an estimate of the time frame for the particular reagent.

Yes, please visit beiresources.org and search for over 200 unique products available free of charge (shipping fees may apply).

Investigators that have registered at BEIresources.org can receive snails that have been exposed to Schistosoma miracidia. The snails are shipped 4-5 days post-exposure and are therefore in the pre-patent phase (not shedding cercariae). Consult your institution’s Occupational Safety and Health office for rules and regulations on receiving Schistosoma-exposed snails. Patent snails shedding Schistosoma cercariae are Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2). For international laboratories: import permits are often required to transport live animals. The SRC reagents are cost-free; recipients pay shipping and handling.

The snails are shipped in plastic petri dishes that contain moist Kimwipes. The petri dishes are wrapped in absorbent shipping paper and shipped in small, sturdy cardboard boxes.