Angiostrongylus cantonensis
is the most common aetiological agent of human eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.
Following a report indicating the presence of this parasite in Brazil in 2007, the present study was undertaken to investigate
the presence of
A. cantonensis in the surrounding Brazilian port areas. In total, 30 ports were investigated
and the following molluscs were identified:
Achatina fulica
,
Belocaulus
sp.,
Bradybaena similaris
sp.,
Cyclodontina
sp.,
Helix
sp.,
Leptinaria
sp.,
Melampus
sp.,
Melanoides tuberculata
,
Phyllocaulis
sp.,
Pomacea
sp.,
Pseudoxychona
sp.,
Rhinus
sp.,
Sarasinula marginata
,
Streptaxis
sp.,
Subulina octona
,
Succinea
sp.,
Tomigerus
sp.,
Wayampia
sp.
and specimens belonging to Limacidae and Orthalicinae. Digestion and sedimentation processes were performed
and the sediments were examined. DNA was extracted from the obtained larvae and the internal transcribed spacer
region 2 was analysed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism after digestion with
the endonuclease
ClaI. Of the 30 ports investigated in this study, 11 contained molluscs infected with A. cantonensis
larvae. The set of infected species consisted of
S. octona,
S. marginata,
A. fulica and
B. similaris. A total of 36.6%
of the investigated ports were positive for
A. cantonensis, indicating a wide distribution of this worm. It remains
uncertain when and how
A. cantonensis was introduced into South America.
