Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)

Angiostrongylus cantonensis
(Metastrongylidae)

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Taxonomy & nomenclature Impacts Human health issues In the news Full-text articles Abstracts

Taxonomy & nomenclature

ITIS nomenclature info for Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Nomenclatural information about Angiostrongylus cantonensis is provided by ITIS.

Impacts

Giant African snails can carry Angiostrongylus cantonensis parasite
The Center for Disease Control provides information about the Giant African snails carrying the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

Human health issues

Department of Health advises public to wash produce thoroughly to prevent exposure to rare form of meningitis View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
The parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis causes a rare form of meningitis called eosinophilic meningitis or angiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm disease). The Hawaii Department of Health's advisory to wash produce addresses cases of rat lungworm disease on the Big Island (HDOA, 1/21/2009).

Eosinophilic meningitis in Thailand
Angiostrongylus cantonensis was the probably cause of 484 typical cases of eosinophilic meningitis studied in Thailand (American J. Tropical Medicine and Hygene, 1975).

Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection fact sheet from the CDC
Rat lungworm disease (Angiostrongyliasis) information is provided by the Center for Disease Control.

Snails, slugs, and semi-slugs: A parasitic disease in paradise
An image of Angiostrongylus cantonensis larva obtained from a Parmarion martensi semi-slug collected in Hawaii, and information about parasite evaluation methods are provided by the Center for Disease Control.

Avoid contracting Angiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm infection): Wash fresh fruits and vegetables before eating! View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Angiostrongyliasis overview and prevention measures are provided by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis life cycle
Angiostrongylus cantonensis biology and life-cycle diagram are presented by Center for Disease Control.

DOH: Wash produce thoroughly to prevent rat lung worm
Angiostrongylus, or rat lung worm, which has sickened at least six people on Hawaii Island, can be prevented by washing produce thoroughly (Hawaii 247, 1/26/2009).

Watch out Hawaii: Veggies may harbor rare parasite
Rat lungworm disease victims in Hilo, Hawaii, may have contracted the parasite by consuming raw vegetables (Scientific American, 1/8/2008).

In the news

Parasites cause intense pain for Big Island victims
Rat lungworm disease has hospitalized Big Island residents (Honolulu Star Bulletin, 1/5/2009).

Disease is blamed on home-grown veggies
A second Big Island resident is in a coma with rat lungworm disease, a rare ailment that can cause significant pain and trauma, including paralysis and blindness.

Hawaii parasite victim slowly recovering after weeks in coma
The victim of one of the most severe cases of rat lungworm disease ever seen in Hawaii is slowly recovering after months of being in a coma (Honolulu Advertiser, 5/9/2009).

Full-text articles

PCR-based detection of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in tissue and mucus secretions from molluscan hosts
The presence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis was confirmed in the tissue of slug Veronicella cubensis and slime of semi-slug Parmarion cf. martensi (Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2007).

An outbreak of eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis in travelers returning from the Caribbean
A rat lungworm disease outbreak among 12 travelers was associated with consumption of Caesar salad in Jamaica (New England J. Medicine, 2/28/2002).

Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy
South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). Sherley, Greg (ed.) . 2000. Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. Apia, Samoa: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. ISBN: 982-04-0214-X.

Immuno-PCR for detection of antigen to Angiostrongylus cantonensis circulating fifth-stage worms View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Angiostrongylus cantonensis antigen can be detected by an immuno PCR method which is more sensitive than ELISA method.

Natural infection of the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis in a Thai edible land snail, Hemiplecta distincta View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format
Rat lungworm found in edible snails is a source of meningoencephalitic angiostrongylosis in Thailand (1988).

Abstracts

Eosinophilic meningitis in Thailand
Angiostrongylus cantonensis was the probably cause of 484 typical cases of eosinophilic meningitis studied in Thailand (American J. Tropical Medicine and Hygene, 1975).

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