The Oswaldo Cruz Institute (Fiocruz) issued a alert after confirming the presence of the worm Angiostrongylus cantonensiscausing eosinophilic meningitis, in snails collected in the city of Nova Iguaçu (RJ), in Baixada Fluminense.
One death was confirmed from the disease in the city, on April 22, which led the Municipal Health Department (SMS) to request tests on animals in the region. Snails were collected at different points in the Ipiranga neighborhood, belonging to the Cabuçu Regional Government Unit, where the patient contracted the infection.
The worm that causes the disease was detected in a water snail of the genus Pomacea, popularly known as lolô or aruá, according to Fiocruz. Around 22 molluscs were analyzed. A mollusk of the species Pomacea maculata was infected.
The confirmation led the institute to carry out new collections and analyses. Another 15 animals, including rats, opossums and cavies. Analyses are ongoing to confirm the infection in the mammals.
The State Department of Health (SES-RJ) informed CNN that it has not yet been notified by the Nova Iguaçu SMS and will mobilize its technical team this Monday (1) to investigate the case with the Epidemiological Surveillance of that municipality.
A worm infection in humans occurs through the ingestion of contaminated snails or its mucus, containing the worm larvae. The parasite completes its life cycle using rodents, such as urban rats, as hosts for its adult forms, which reproduce and release larvae in the animals’ feces.
Source: CNN Brasil
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