Observations on the transmission of Angiostrongylus cantonensis from snail to rodent.
A survey of Angiostrongylus cantonensis was carried out to investigate the mode of transmission from mollusc to rat in a fixed study area of Yoron Island from 1979 to 1982. Rattus rattus was found to be infected with a small number of worms in spite of heavy infection with third-stage larvae in Achatina fulica and an abundance of this snail in the area. Natural infection and/or susceptibility with A. cantonensis were confirmed in three small snail species. Bradybaena circulus, Fruticicola despecta and Luchuena reticulata. Young A. fulica was found to be infected with fewer third-stage larvae than mature A. fulica. It was concluded that molluscs which were infected with a small number of third-stage larvae of A. cantonensis play an important role in maintaining the life cycle of A. cantonensis. The percentage of rat stomachs containing mollusc tissue was relatively low, and the incidence and infection was low in rats. Infection with A. cantonensis did not occur very often in R. rattus in nature.
Noda
S
S
Department of Medical Zoology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
Uchikawa
R
R
Matayoshi
S
S
Watanabe
Y
Y
Sato
A
A
D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D009115:Muridae / Q000469:parasitology*; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D051381:Rats; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D012621:Seasons; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*