The RiskWild caught Giant African Snails sometimes carry rat lung worm, or Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Humans can also become hosts for this worm if they somehow ingest the worm or it's eggs. It is very hard to contract the disease by just handling snails or their excrement's. But we highly advice using gloves and practicing good hygiene when handling wild-caught snails. The rat lung worm relies on rat and snail hosts to complete its life-cycle. Snails ingest rat lung worm larvae by eating infected rat faeces. When a rat eats an infected snail, the larvae penetrate the rat's intestine and enter its circulatory system, which transports them to the brain. There, they develop into immature worms, re-enter the circulatory system and travel to the rat's pulmonary artery where they mature and reproduce. When new larvae hatch, they are coughed up and swallowed by the rat and pass through its faeces, completing the life cycle. |
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While the fatality rate of infection in humans is low, the parasite can cause eosinophilic meningitis if it becomes trapped in the brain. The severe infections can cause headache, stiff neck, fever, vomiting, nausea, vomiting and in extreme cases paralysis of the face and limbs, mental illness, coma or death. Examples of this happening have been observed in Africa where Giant Snails are eaten. (the virus is passed if a snail that has the rat lungworm is not cooked well and is then eaten by a human). The virus can also be passed by the lung worm being present on vegetables (that where in contact with infected rats or snails) and then ingested by humans.
While no human cases of infection with rat lungworm, or Angiostrongyliasis, have been attributed to handeling G.A.L.S. in europe, we advice you to take precautions.
While the fatality rate of infection in humans is low, the parasite can cause eosinophilic meningitis if it becomes trapped in the brain. The severe infections can cause headache, stiff neck, fever, vomiting, nausea, vomiting and in extreme cases paralysis of the face and limbs, mental illness, coma or death. Examples of this happening have been observed in Africa where Giant Snails are eaten. (the virus is passed if a snail that has the rat lungworm is not cooked well and is then eaten by a human). The virus can also be passed by the lung worm being present on vegetables (that where in contact with infected rats or snails) and then ingested by humans.
While no human cases of infection with rat lungworm, or Angiostrongyliasis, have been attributed to handeling G.A.L.S. in europe, we advice you to take precautions.
The Solution
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Step 1. Always Use Gloves During these months of de-worming one is always advised to wear gloves when handling and cleaning out their tanks. Step 2. De-worm Wild Caught G.A.L.S. Snails can be de-wormed by feeding crushed hemp seeds and red bell pepper twice weekly for a period of 3-4 months. Alternatively they can be fed Snail Pets Wormer mix (currently available on Etsy). This mix is highly recommended by many snail keepers and is proven to work. Step 3. Clean After them Snail excrement and dead worms need to be cleaned out of the thanks regularly. Step 4. Always wash your hands Strict hygiene needs to be maintained at all times. Hands need to be washed thurelly after any of the above steps. Step 5. Quarantine. Wild Caught G.A.L.S. should not be mixed with captive bread snails before they are fully de-wormed. We advise waiting a month after the worming process is over, before mixing them with other snails. Step 6. Finish After the worming has been done, and you are sure that there are no more worms present in the Snail. You can now stop using gloves. We always advice washing hands after handling any snail. |
ARCHACHATINA MARGINATA OVUM (WC) Photo Thanks to Teresa Ni Petrikova
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