Hundreds of giant African snails have washed up on Florida’s Gulf Coast, US officials said on Friday, threatening to destroy plants and trees and posing the risk of transmitting a rare type of meningitis to humans.
The snail, native to East Africa, is one of the most harmful in the world, eating at least 500 different types of plants, tree bark and even paint and plaster from houses, according to the US Department of Agriculture website.
The gastropod, whose shell can grow to the size of a human fist, often carries a parasite known as rat lungworm, which can transmit a type of meningitis whose symptoms include muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, fever and fever. vomit.
More than 1,000 creatures were collected in the New Port Richey suburb of Tampa, Pasco County, officials said. All those tested as of Thursday were not carrying the rat lungworm parasite, the assistant director of the state’s Plant Industry Division told a news conference.
State authorities first detected the infestation on June 23.
Health bodies emphasize the importance of not touching or ingesting the snail to prevent infections.
Source: CNN Brasil
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