en Infectious diseases and public health Infectious diseases and public health Original article Original article <p><strong><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times="">Introduction</span><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times="">:</span></strong><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-font-weight:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times=""> Some snails play an important role in the transmission of helminthes, mainly trematodes<i> </i>of medical and veterinary importance. There seems to be no information on the freshwater snails of Gahar Lake in Lorestan province of Iran. The present study aimed to identify medically important snails of this lake. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times="">Methods:</span></b><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-font-weight:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times=""> Samples were collected from ten localities around Gahar Lake in April 2015 by hand. The snails were classified according to shells morphology. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times="">Results:</span></b><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-font-weight:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" new="" style="FONT-FAMILY: " times=""> A total of 6 snail species were collected from all localities. Four medically important snail species including: <i>Lymnaea truncatula</i>, <i>Lymnaea peregra</i>,<i> Melanoides tuberculata</i> and<i> Melanopsis </i>spp. were detected. <i>M. tuberculata </i>was seen in all sampling sites. <i>Physa acuta</i> and <i>Melanopsis </i>spp. were observed in five sampling sites. <i>Planorbis intermixtus</i>, <i>L. peregra</i> and<i> L. truncatula</i> were found in four, three and two sampling sites, respectively. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" style="FONT-FAMILY: ">Conclusion:</span></b><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-font-weight:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" style="FONT-FAMILY: "> </span><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" style="FONT-FAMILY: ">Presence of medically important snails in Gahar Lake could be a source of trematode infections for visitors. Therefore control measures, especially </span><span font-size:="" lang="EN" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" style="FONT-FAMILY: ">biological</span><span font-size:="" mso-ansi-language:="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" mso-bidi-language:="" mso-fareast-font-family:="" mso-fareast-language:="" style="FONT-FAMILY: "> ones should be applied to the lake.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><font face="Garamond" size="2"> </font></span></span></p> Snails, Lakes, Iran, Trematoda 91 94 http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-60-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Rouhollah Valipour Nouroozi mvn1365@yahoo.com Yes Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran