Prevalence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis among different species of snails in the village of Bagong Sikat Mu ñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines and its associated risk factors for zoonotic transmission

AbstractSnails are good source of protein and one of the delicacies in majority of the areas in the Philippines. However, they may act as an intermediate host for several parasites such asAngiostrongylus cantonensis. This parasite is commonly found in South East Asia especially in agricultural countries like the Philippines. Hence, the present study aims to determine the prevalence of A. cantonensis in their intermediate host in Village Bagong Sikat, which is situated at the rice granary of the Philippines. A total of 947 snails were randomly collected within 50  m × 50 m transect line through handpicked method. The third larvae (L3) stage from the snails was recovered through artificial tissue digestion. Results showed that 173 out of 947 snails (18.27%) were found positive withA. cantonensis L3 larvae. Three species of snails were recovered havingMelanoides tuberculata to have the highest prevalence ofA. cantonensis (21.54%) followed byPomacea canaliculata (17.75%) andVivipara angularis (17.74%). Statistical analysis further showed that prevalence ofA. cantonensis and the length of snails has no significant difference (p >  0.05). The species of snails collected and found infected in the present study are considered part of the delicacies of the locals in Nueva Ecija. Thus, these results highlight the need to raise awareness of the locals regarding the zoonotic potential ofA. cantonensis, which are of public health importance.
Source: Journal of Parasitic Diseases - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research