Low susceptibility of Achatina fulica from Brazil to infection with Angiostrongylus costaricensis and A. cantonensis

Abstract

Introduction of Achatina fulica in Brazil has led to serious concerns about its role as vector for metastrongylid worms: Angiostrongylus costaricensis and A. cantonensis. Experimental infection with both parasites was performed to evaluate the potential risk for their transmission by the giant African snail. Groups of 5 animals, both wild and bred at captivity were exposed at different inocula: 1, 5, and 10 × 103 L1 of A. costaricensis and A. cantonensis. In all groups, few snails got infected and parasitic burden was low. Two different ways of infection were tested: ingestion produced higher numbers of L3 than the inoculation through an artificial hole in the shell. We also report the parasitological examination of 6 batches of wild A. fulica from Florianópolis, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil: only 1 out of 244 animals were infected with metastrongylid larvae. Taken together these data indicate that the giant African snail occurring in Southern Brazil is not a permissive host for both Angiostrongylus species and does not represent a significant risk for transmission of these parasites.