First records of molluscs naturally infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in Sergipe State, Northeastern Brazil, including new global records of natural intermediate hosts

Abstract

Human neural angiostrongyliasis is an emerging infectious disease caused by nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The present study investigated the presence of Angiostrongylus spp. in terrestrial molluscs collected from the following areas in the Metropolitan Region of Aracaju, Sergipe State, Brazil: Barra dos Coqueiros, Nossa Senhora do Socorro, Sao Cristovao and Aracaju. In total, 703 specimens representing 13 mollusc species were screened for Angiostrongylus spp. Larvae of Angiostrongylus spp. were found in three species. Larvae recovered from Achatina fulica were used for experimental infection in Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus). For specific identification of nematodes, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was sequenced from both larvae and adults recovered from molluscs and rats, respectively. Infection with A. cantonensis was detected in all municipalities and in the following three host species: Bulimulus tenuissimus, Cyclodontina fasciata (Barra dos Coqueiros), and A. fulica (Aracaju, Nossa Senhora do Socorro and Sao Cristovao). Co-infections were also found with Caenorhabditis sp. and Strongyluris sp. larvae. This is the first study of the helminth fauna associated with the terrestrial malacofauna in Sergipe State, and confirms that these three snail species are involved in the transmission of A. cantonensis in the state. In addition, B. tenuissimus and C. fasciata are newly reported natural hosts of the parasite.

Infection by Angiostrongylus cantonensis in both humans and the snail Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica in the city of Macapá, in the Amazon Region of Brazil

“…In this study, the prevalence of A. cantonensis in A. fulica was more than 50% while in B. similaris, it was 24.6%, and both species were also co-infected with other helminths. In the metropolitan region of Aracaju (Aracaju, Barra dos Coqueiros, Nossa Senhora do Socorro, and São Cristovão), A. cantonensis infection rates were 17.7% in A. fulica and 4.3% in B. tenuissimus, (25) which further reinforces the parasitological importance of these molluscs. Specimens of the slug S. linguaeformis have also been found to be infected with both A. cantonensis (5) and A. costaricensis.…”

“…This confirms the participation of A. fulica in the life cycle of these nematodes, as already observed in other Brazilian states. (5,6,25) A. fulica has been reported previously in the city of Macapá, in the northern (Brasil Novo neighborhood), central (Central neighborhood), and southern (Pedrinhas neighborhood) zones, (27) although this study did not include parasitological analysis. In northern Brazil, A. fulica and rodents have been found infected with A. cantonensis in the Guamá and Jurunas neighborhoods of the city of Belém, (13) although no human infections have been reported.…”

First record of Bulimulus tenuissimus (Mollusca) as potential experimental intermediate host of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda)

“…Vasquez-Perera (2016) and Puthiyakunnon and Chen (2015) mentioned many species of mollusks as intermediate hosts of A. cantonensis, but no species from the Bulimulus genus were identified in these reports. Recently and Ramos- de-Souza et al (2018), in a molecular study, found B. tenuissimus naturally infected with A. cantonensis in Sergipe state, Brazil. However, these data have not yet been published, and the author just presented the molecular detection of A. cantonensis DNA in the snail.…”

“…report of molecular detection of natural infection of this mollusk naturally infected with A. cantonensis (Ramos- de-Souza et al, 2018).…”

First record of natural infection by Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) in Belocaulus willibaldoi and Rattus norvegicus in an urban area of São Paulo city, SP, Brazil

“…Among the variety of these gastropods identified worldwide, A. cantonensis is known to infect species in more than 34 families, some of which are more efficient than others ( Kim et al., 2014 ). In Brazil, there are records of terrestrial molluscs naturally infected by A. cantonensis in the Southeast ( Caldeira et al., 2007 ; Maldonado Júnior et al., 2010 ), Northeast ( Thiengo et al., 2010 ; Ramos de Souza et al., 2018 ) and North ( Moreira et al., 2013 ). The first two cases of eosinophilic meningitis in the country were reported by Caldeira in 2007 ( Caldeira et al., 2007 ) in the city of Cariacica ( Espírito Santo ).…”