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According to new research, a parasitic worm that could wreak havoc on a person's brain could infect more Hawaiians than previously thought. And some of these people might catch the so-called rat lung worm parasite after eating (consciously or not) an invasive creature that is partly slug and partly snail, the scientists said.
Aloha State health officials were interested in finding out the prevalence of this parasite infecting the brain and the cause of the infection in humans. Based on information going back to 2007, when health workers started tracking the disease in Hawaii, they discovered 82 cases (including two deaths) until 2017. These cases involved both residents, tourists and visitors.
Researchers, including David Johnston, epidemiologist of the epidemic control division of the state of Hawaii's state health department, suspect that it is likely to be 39, an underestimate of the actual number of people with parasitic infection. Indeed, some infected people have no symptoms or only mild symptoms and do not consult a doctor. In fact, since the end of the study, information has hinted that 10 such cases had been reported in Hawaii in 2018 and five since the beginning of the year. [8 Awful Parasite Infections That Will Make Your Skin Crawl]
Although most people infected with the parasite cure without treatment, in rare cases they can develop neurological problems or even die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Humans can not transmit the infection to other humans.
Nearly 80% of the people whose cases were reported had to be hospitalized and the disease hit residents of Big Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu.
Slugs, snails and slugs
Cases of rat lungworm disease are mainly found in tropical regions of Asia, such as Thailand and Taiwan, with some cases in Australia, Africa and the Caribbean, according to the CDC. Very few cases have been reported in the continental United States, reports the CDC.
The infection first appeared in Hawaii around 1959, according to the researchers.
But since 2007, health professionals are required to report the infection to the state's health department to monitor its spread, making the new study the most important to date.
People can develop lungworm disease in rats when exposed to a parasitic worm called Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The worm performs part of its life cycle inside slugs and snails, which can become carriers of the parasite when they catch worm larvae after ingesting infected rat feces.
The researchers found that people in Hawaii could contract the disease if they mistakenly or deliberately ingest these infected slugs or snails into raw, unpeeled fruits or vegetables.
Some slug babies and snails are so small that they are barely visible on products, Johnston said. That's why it's important to inspect and thoroughly wash raw products before eating them, he noted.
The new study also found that some adults may have been sick by swallowing a slug on a challenge, consuming a raw (or undercooked) snail or drinking a contaminated beverage (infected slugs can crawl into pipe slips). watering or water collection tanks). A few cases in young children occurred when they unconsciously put the critters in their mouths.
But for many cases of the study, it was difficult to identify the specific exposure responsible for the infection of the rat lung worm, said Johnston at Live Science.
He also explained that there are a number of potential sources of infection in Hawaii, such as the Cuban slug, an African giant snail and a marsh snail, which are known to carry the parasite and pose a risk of infection. human.
A type of invasive semislug (Parmarion martensi) is also interesting. Exposure of slugs and snails could increase human exposure in the state, as they tend to climb quickly, so they can enter the home, such as sinks and outdoor dishes or water tanks; They have also been found to carry a lot of pests, Johnston said.
Once infected people, the researchers found that the most common symptoms in children younger than 9 years old were fever, vomiting and irritability; Older children and adults were more likely to complain of headaches, muscle or joint pain, tingling sensations in the skin, and stiff necks.
Sometimes the parasitic infection can lead to a rare form of meningitis (eosinophilic meningitis), which causes an increase in the number of white blood cells in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The study was published online yesterday (July 8) in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Originally published on Science live.
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