Relative condition factor and predictive model for the presence of the invasive snail Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica in Sergipe, Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Achatina fulica is among the world’s 100 most impactive invasive species, and is now found in almost all Brazilian states, including Sergipe. This exotic snail is known to have negative impacts, not only on the environment, due primarily to the rapid growth of its populations, but also on public health, given that it is an intermediate host of nematodes that cause zoonotic diseases. However, relatively little is known of the development of this snail, including its relative condition factor. We investigated the occurrence of A. fulica in 24 municipalities distributed in the eight subregions of the state of Sergipe in the dry and rainy season. Furthermore, we present here a predictive model for the occurrence of A. fulica based on the variation in climate and soil chemistry. This snail was more frequent on soils with a pH of 6.5-7.5. A negative correlation was found between the growth of A. fulica and the soil pH, then, the more acidic the soil, the more allometric the growth of A. fulica. The relative condition factor indicated differences in the development pattern of A. fulica among the eight subregions. The influence of rain in increasing the frequency of A. fulica showed a significant correlation. As well, higher temperatures influenced the resting behavior of A. fulica. The mathematical model used to identify the potential presence of A. fulica presented a high degree of agreement. This is the first ecological study of A. fulica to verify the association between the body mass-length relationship and the relative condition factor, and the results indicate that the development of this exotic land snail in Sergipe is influenced by climatic factors and principally, the soil pH. The predictive mathematical model provides valuable insights into the biotic and abiotic factors associated with the presence of A. fulica, and the influence of climatic variables and the chemical parameters of the soil on the occurrence of this species. These findings provide important guidelines for the development of measures for the control of A. fulica populations, which will contribute to both public and environment health.

The Zoonotic Angiostrongylus cantonensis and the Veterinary Parasite Aelurostrongylus abstrusus Infecting Terrestrial Gastropods from Urban Areas of Macapá, Brazilian Amazon Region

“…cantonensis and Ae. abstrusus have also been recorded in other regions of Brazil [ 3 , 21 ], as well as in other countries [ 2 ]. Carvalho et al [ 22 ] reported the infection of a number of different mollusk species by An.…”

“…Given the rapid dispersal of the snail A. fulica in Brazil and the fact that An. cantonensis has been found infecting these snails in 14 Brazilian states up to now [ 3 , 12 , 14 , 21 , 51 , 61 , 62 ], phylogenetic studies of this parasite may contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of its introduction to and dispersal in the country. An.…”

“…In Brazil, Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1796) have been found with natural infection of An. cantonensis [ 3 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

The invasive giant African land snail,Achatina fulica(Gastropoda: Pulmonata): global geographical distribution of this species as host of nematodes of medical and veterinary importance

“…Achatina fulica is considered to be a synanthropic species, that is, an organism found typically in environments modified by humans (Simião & Fischer, 2004;Fischer & Colley, 2005;Silva et al, 2020), although it can also occur in tropical forests, where it competes for food and space with the endemic fauna (Raut & Barker, 2002;Simião & Fischer, 2004). In urban zones, A. fulica is found primarily in humid and shaded environments that lack adequate sanitation, often in direct contact with trash and sewage outlets, which are also conditions that favours the ocurrence of synanthropic rodents (Silva et al, 2022). These are anthropogenic conditions, which are invariably found observed in urban areas, and favourthe proliferation of A. fulica (Silva et al, 2020(Silva et al, , 2022.…”

“…In urban zones, A. fulica is found primarily in humid and shaded environments that lack adequate sanitation, often in direct contact with trash and sewage outlets, which are also conditions that favours the ocurrence of synanthropic rodents (Silva et al, 2022). These are anthropogenic conditions, which are invariably found observed in urban areas, and favourthe proliferation of A. fulica (Silva et al, 2020(Silva et al, , 2022.…”