According to the article, “Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection in Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus), Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2019-2022” posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), a zoonotic parasite invasive to the United States, causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. A. cantonensis harbors in rat reservoir hosts and is transmitted through gastropods and other paratenic hosts.
Researchers warn that a parasitic brain worm that can be ingested through contaminated produce has been found in Atlanta, Georgia.
The CDC website says Angiostrongylus is a parasitic nematode that can cause severe gastrointestinal or central nervous system disease in humans, depending on the species.
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Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which is also known as the rat lungworm, causes eosinophilic meningitis and is prevalent in Southeast Asia and tropical Pacific islands.
The recognized distribution of the parasite has been increasing over time and infections have been identified in other areas, including Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States.
From the article:
Rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Strongylida: Metastrongyloidea), causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis (neural angiostrongyliasis) in humans and other accidental mammal hosts. This vectorborne nematode has an indirect life cycle in which several rodent species, including Rattus spp., serve as definitive hosts (1).
Rodents become infected by ingesting terrestrial gastropods acting as intermediate hosts infected with third-stage larvae (L3).
In the rodent host, L3 migrate through vasculature to the central nervous system and after 2 molts become adult nematodes that migrate to the pulmonary artery (1). After mating, females lay eggs that hatch first-stage larvae (L1) in lung airspaces. L1 ascend the trachea, pass into the digestive system after being swallowed by the host rat, and exit the body through feces (1).
Subsequently, gastropods ingest nematode L1 after which the larvae develop to the infective L3 stage. Paratenic hosts, such as fish, frogs, and crustaceans, can also harbor A. cantonensis L3, which can be transferred to rodents and accidental hosts (2).
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A. cantonensis, originally described in Asia, where most human infections are reported, is now endemic in different regions of the world (2). In the United States, A. cantonensis was initially reported in Hawaii (3), and later in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, likely introduced by infected rats and gastropods through trade routes, such as on merchant ships (3-7). We confirm autochthonous A. cantonensis infection in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and briefly discuss the relevance of these findings to human and animal health.
Resources
A Gottdenker NL, Nascimento Ramos R, Hakimi H, et al. Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection in Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus), Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2019-2022. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2023;29(10):2167-2170. doi:10.3201/eid2910.230706.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
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