Spread of the Rat Lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) in Giant African Land Snails (Lissachatina fulica) in Florida, USA

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) is a parasitic nematode that causes rat lungworm disease. It is the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis and is a zoonotic health risk. We confirmed the presence of A. cantonensis using species-specific, quantitative PCR in 18 of 50 (36%) giant African land snails (Lissachatina fulica) collected from Miami, Florida, US in May 2013. These snails were collected from seven of 21 core areas that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services monitor weekly. Rat lungworms have not previously been identified in these areas. Duplicate DNA extractions of foot muscle tissue from each snail were tested. Of the seven core areas we examined, six were positive for A. cantonensis and prevalence of infection ranged from 27% to 100%. Of the 18 positive snails, only five were positive in both extractions. Our results confirm an increase in the range and prevalence of rat lungworm infection in Miami. We also emphasize the importance of extracting sufficient host tissue to minimize false negatives.

Parasites of edible land snails in Edo State, Nigeria

“…Another nematode, A. cantonensis larvae were seen only in A. fulica. This nematode has been isolated in giant African land snails elsewhere (Kim et al, 2014;Iwanowicz et al, 2015). Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a common parasite of rats and the cause of the emerging infectious neurologic rat lungworm disease (Jarvi et al 2012).…”

“…The African giant snail of Achatina achatina, A. fulica, Achachatina marginata with Limicolaria spp are the common edible land snails in Nigeria (Fagbuaro et al, 2006). A recent report has shown the susceptibility of the African giant snail to rat lungworm parasite (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) (Iwanowicz et al, 2015) with the increasing risk of transmission to man and animals (Alica 1966;Reece et al 2013).…”

High prevalence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm) on eastern Hawai‘i Island: A closer look at life cycle traits and patterns of infection in wild rats (Rattus spp.)

“…Angiostrongylus cantonensis was initially discovered in China [ 4 ], and in Hawai‘i the first human case of angiostrongyliasis was reported in 1959 [ 5 ]. This zoonotic pathogen is also found in Asia, Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean islands and other Pacific Islands and has spread to and within the US continent (Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida) with more than 2,800 cases of human infection reported in 30 countries [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Angiostrongylus cantonensis is typically described as a tropical parasite but it appears to be adapting to gastropod hosts found in more temperate climates [ 9 ].…”

Development of quantitative PCR assay for detection of the trematode parasite Proctoeces maculatus in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis

“…Additionally, false negatives are theoretically possible when sampling mussels with localized infections. Increasing the amount of host tissue used in an assay can help re duce the frequency of false negatives due to sampling error (Iwanowicz et al 2015). As a preventative measure, the whole mantle could be used instead of, or in addition to, a sample of mantle tissue, as was done by Liu et al (2009) with Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758) infected with QPX.…”