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Rat lungworm is, thankfully, one of the few pests that sounds more disgusting than it is. Unfortunately, it's even more terrifying than its rude name suggests.
Two poor humans who have recently been infected – as reported Monday in the newspaper American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene – contracted the parasite by eating raw centipedes, which could give you a false sense of security. I do not eat centipedes, "you think, stupidly. You also probably do not live in a small rural town in Guangzhou, China, where the mother-son couple has come to the hospital with persistent headaches. (Of course, you can live in a small rural town in Guangzhou and / or enjoy the occasional millipede snack, but our readers' analysis tells us that this is statistically unlikely.)
But the rat's lung does not is not limited to Asia and the Caribbean more: It is also in the United States. And you do not need to indulge in a conscious entomophagia for the disease to strike you.
First, let's talk about what is the rat's lung. As its name indicates, the parasitic roundworm responsible for angiostrongylosis (scientific name of the disease) lives inside the lungs of rats, particularly in the pulmonary blood vessels. Infected rats excrete worms into their excrement, where they can infect other animals such as snails, slugs, frogs and, yes, centipedes. Cooking one of these animals kills the parasite, so snail fans do not have to worry, but by eating any of them can very well pass round worms on you. You, a human, are what epidemiologists call an accidental host. Angiostrongylus cantonensis does not try to infect you, but if it ends up in your bloodstream it will be at home.
Once inside you, worms can enter your central nervous system, where they can cause eosinophilic meningitis. Meningitis is usually an inflammation of the meninges, which is the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The eosinophil type is rare and is so called because it involves an overgrowth of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that fights parasites. This is, in fact, how many cases of lungworm rat are diagnosed in humans. There is no blood test, so the diagnosis is based on the fact that doctors have enough ideas to think about testing cerebrospinal fluid for high levels of eosinophils.
This was the case for this mother and her son. apart from complaining of persistent headaches. The mother, 78, also suffered from cognitive impairment and drowsiness. The 46-year-old son had some neck stiffness. It was only after asking questions that the doctors discovered that both had eaten raw centipedes the previous days, and thought about looking at their cerebrospinal fluid.
These symptoms are not exactly typical of the rat's lung. Neck stiffness and headaches are classic signs of meningitis in general – inflammation of the meninges causes both. But most people with meningitis also have much more serious symptoms. Many report nausea, vomiting, fever, abnormal sensations in the arms and legs and changes in vision. As the disease progresses, some people may develop other neurological problems and even die. That said, the rat lungworm is not always horrifying. It does not even cause meningitis. Some people have no symptoms, others have minor headaches or stiff necks, but their bodies fight the parasite without even noticing it.
The other parasite that causes the rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus costaricensis can also cause abdominal pain because it often moves into the intestines. The Centers for Disease Control notes that the pain can be severe enough to mimic appendicitis, and that is often once the surgeons remove the appendix that they realize what actually causes the pain. However, if the worms remain stuck, people can develop internal bleeding from their intestines because the worms get stuck in the capillaries and cause inflammatory reactions to their death. (Okay, maybe it's more rude than we think after all …).
This was particularly problematic in Asia and the Caribbean. It is there that the parasite has circulated between the populations of rats and slugs / slugs. A 2013 study found that the disease is spreading, however, largely because of global shipping trends in freighters and airplanes, which can carry rats and snails or slugs without anyone getting caught. report on it. This same study found infected snails in New Orleans and infected worms in Hawaii, as well as other infected molluscs and many rats. A 2015 study found the parasite in giant African land snails lying around Florida, too. Some researchers have expressed concern that climate change could extend the reach of these animals, expanding the area where the parasite can come into contact with humans.
Now, you may think that you do not eat snails and uncooked slugs. To this we will say that you do not intentionally eat snails and uncooked slugs . Some people certainly eat these raw creatures, whether for supposed medicinal purposes (which is why both people in the case report consumed the thousand feet) or on a challenge, or simply because they benefit from it ( no judgment). But many of us have probably accidentally eaten a raw slug on some badly washed lettuce. And you do not have to eat the slug or the snail itself – the larvae can hide inside the mud. You can be infected without even knowing it. Moreover, it is not only slugs and snails. Shrimps, frogs and crabs can also give you the disease, as does the water that harbors these animals.
People living in Hawaii are already infected (just like a teen who was on vacation there)). Several people ended up in comas, and a study of the 84 lungworm rat cases in Hawaii from January 2001 to February 2005 found that at least 24 cases were attributable to A. cantonensis .
These cases do not appear to have been specifically treated for the parasite, but have instead been medicated to improve their symptoms. Similarly, the CDC does not mention specific treatment for rat lungworm. The two Chinese patients in this recent case study were treated with albendazole (an anti-parasitic) for 21 days and dexamethasone (an anti-inflammatory steroid) for 15 days, which seems to have resolved the disease.
around the Gulf of Mexico or Hawaii, the rat lungworm could be a growing problem for you. So yes, avoid eating raw or undercooked slugs or snails (not that most of us would know the proper cooking technique for a garden slug), but do not drink either from the pipe or the kitchen. ; watering. house without washing your hands after. Wash all your products well, too. And maybe just stay away from the rough centipedes generally.
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