ACHATINA FULICA COMO HOSPEDEIRO INT ERMEDIÁRIO DE NEMATÓDEOS DE INTERESSE MÉDICO-VETERINÁRIO EM GOIÁS, BRASIL

Abstract

Achatina fulica also known as African snail is a terrestrial mollusc that may actas an intermediate host for helminthes, some of them with medical and veterinaryimportance such as: Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongylus costaricensis,which may cause eosinophilic meningitis and abdominal angiostrongyliasis,respectively. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of A. fulica in the stateof Goiás, Central Brazil, and to search for nematode larvae with parasitologicalimportance. A. fulica was first reported in the municipality of Morrinhos in 2003 andit is currently present in 39.5% of the municipalities of Goiás. The search for larvalnematodes, on the samples from the municipalities of Caldas Novas, Morrinhos,and Bela Vista de Goiás, performed using the artificial digestion technique revealedthe occurrence of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (prevalence of 35%), Rhabditis sp.(47.5%), Strongyluris sp. (15%), and other metastrongyloid larvae (2.5%). Thispaper expanded the knowledge on the geographical distribution of A. fulica inGoiás and illustrated the role of this mollusc as intermediate host of nematodesof veterinary and medical importance. In addition, these results showed the highdensities of this mollusc in the investigated municipalities pointing to the urgencyof measures of control and epidemiological surveillance of this mollusc in urban areas where the contact between humans and domestic animals with infected A.fulica is easier.