Giant African Snail Achatina Fulica Research Articles

Life cycle and host preference study of giant African snail (Achatina fulica) under laboratory conditions

Life cycle and host preference study of giant African snail (Achatina fulica) under laboratory conditions

Nematodes of concern to public and animal health associated with the invasive snail Achatina fulica, in Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil

The giant African land snail Achatina fulica is known to be the intermediate host of a number of nematode species that are prejudicial to human and veterinary health, being also an agricultural and urban pest. The present study investigated the presence of nematodes in A. fulica and other terrestrial mollusks in 24 municipalities of Sergipe State, northeastern of Brazil, in the dry and rainy seasons. In 2019 and 2020, the specimens were collected in standard 20 m × 10 m plots (10 min/01 collector), while in 2021, they were collected by convenience sampling. The nematode species were identified based on sequencing of the mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I (COI) gene and the ribosomal nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS 2). Specimens of A. fulica infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a nematode that causes eosinophilic meningitis (EM) in humans and animals, were collected in four municipalities. Two nematodes of veterinary importance were also identified, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Cruzia tentaculata in seven municipalities. This is the first record of Cruzia tentaculata in Sergipe. Free-living nematodes were also found in 18 municipalities. One of these species – Caenorhabditis briggsae – was identified in the municipality of Itabaiana. Specimens of other mollusks species were also collected. Only one of these mollusks, C. fasciata from Japaratuba, was found infected with free-living nematodes. A. fulica showed greater positivity for nematodes in the dry season, especially in the regions of Lower São Francisco River, Greater Aracaju and South Central Sergipe. The probability of infection increased when mollusks were larger and more recurrent in plots. Given that A. cantonensis is the etiological agent of EM and was found associated to A. fulica in four municipalities, it will be important to implement programs of continuous monitoring of the mollusk's fauna, combined with educational programs that provide information necessary to control A. fulica.

Ecofriendly Management of Giant African Snail (GAS) Achatina fulica (Bowdich)

The Giant African Snail (GAS) is a native of East Africa and. Presently the snail had infested over many areas and is becoming very difficult to control. This snail feeds on over 500 species of vegetation, and given that the Eastern Uttar Pradesh is self-sufficient in vegetable production, the burden of this pest can be a significant threat to Eastern Uttar Pradesh’s domestic food security. The GAS can be considered the only agricultural polyphagous herbivorous pest which is a threat to public health since it is a known vector of the rat lungworm which causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans. The study can provide insight into the preferences for selected parts within a plant which can be incorporated into the design for more target-specific crop protection approaches. Giant African snails are an invasive, and can cause extensive damage to important food crops and other agricultural and natural resources. They eat crops, reducing yields and making them unsuitable for sale. Some snails grow to 15 cm in length and 5- 8 cm wide, whereas others only grow to 6.5 cm in length. Commonly, the shells are light brown with darker brown and cream bands. The present review evaluated that the GAS is the second worst invasive alien species in the world.

A Structural Analysis of Host-Parasite Interactions in Achatina fulica (Giant African Snail) Infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a nematode parasite that resides in the pulmonary arteries of rodents, serving as its definitive hosts. The life cycle involves several species of non-marine gastropods as intermediate hosts, and the African giant snail Achatina fulica is considered one of the most important around the world. Experimental data concerning A. cantonensis infection in the African giant snail remains notably limited. This helminth causes eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis in humans, representing an emergent zoonosis in Brazil. Understanding the host-parasite relationship through the application of new tools is crucial, given the complex interaction between zoonosis and the intricate mechanisms involving wild/human hosts, parasite adaptation, and dispersion. The objective of this study was to employ SEM as a novel methodology to understand the structural organization of the host tissue, particularly the granuloma formation. This sheds light on the complex balance between A. fulica and A. cantonensis. Nine three-month-old snails were randomly selected and exposed for 24 h to a concentration of 2000 L1/dose of A. cantonensis. A necropsy was performed 37 days after the infection, and the samples were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The histopathological results revealed third-stage larvae of A. cantonensis associated with granulomas distributed throughout the head-foot mass, mantle, and kidney. Scanning electron microscopy of the histological section surface showed that the granuloma is surrounded by a cluster of spherical particles, which are distributed in the region bordering the larvae. This reveal details of the nematode structure, demonstrating how this methodology can enhance our understanding of the role of granulomas in molluscan tissue. The structural characteristics of granuloma formation in A. fulica suggest it as an excellent invertebrate host for A. cantonensis. This relationship appears to provide protection to the parasite against the host's immune defense system while isolating the snail's tissue from potential exposure to nematode antigens.

Achatina fulica infected by Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Manaus, brazilian amazon region, and the risk of transmission of eosinophilic meningitis

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which causes the zoonosis Eosinophilic Meningitis (EM), has become increasingly widespread in Brazil. Terrestrial mollusks, especially the exotic giant African snail Achatina fulica, have being found naturally infected with this nematode besides some few freshwater species. In this study, we collected several terrestrial and one freshwater mollusks from five different localities in the city of Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon Region. One hundred and eighteen specimens from nine different species were obtained. In all, 49 specimens were analyzed parasitologically, including A. fulica (42 specimens), Bulimulus sp. (one specimen) and the freshwater species Pomacea dolioides (five specimens). The other specimens died or were represented by shells. Specimens of A. fulica from one locality were found naturally infected with A. cantonensis, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial MT-CO1 gene sequences. A recent case of EM reported in the Amazon region, in the city of Macapá, reinforces the need of effective surveillance of areas in which the parasite is known to occur, as well as raising the awareness of local populations at risk of infection. We highlight both the role of A. fulica in the transmission of A. cantonensis and the need for effective measures to control the spreading of EM in Brazil. KEY WORDS: Mollusk; neural angiostrongyliasis; neurotropic parasite; intermediate host

Understanding Snail Mucus Biosynthesis and Shell Biomineralisation through Genomic Data Mining of the Reconstructed Carbohydrate and Glycan Metabolic Pathways of the Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica).

The giant African snail (Order Stylommatophora: Family Achatinidae), Achatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822), is the most significant and invasive land snail pest. The ecological adaptability of this snail involves high growth rate, reproductive capacity, and shell and mucus production, driven by several biochemical processes and metabolism. The available genomic information for A. fulica provides excellent opportunities to hinder the underlying processes of adaptation, mainly carbohydrate and glycan metabolic pathways toward the shell and mucus formation. The authors analysed the 1.78 Gb draft genomic contigs of A. fulica to identify enzyme-coding genes and reconstruct biochemical pathways related to the carbohydrate and glycan metabolism using a designed bioinformatic workflow. Three hundred and seventy-seven enzymes involved in the carbohydrate and glycan metabolic pathways were identified based on the KEGG pathway reference in combination with protein sequence comparison, structural analysis, and manual curation. Fourteen complete pathways of carbohydrate metabolism and seven complete pathways of glycan metabolism supported the nutrient acquisition and production of the mucus proteoglycans. Increased copy numbers of amylases, cellulases, and chitinases highlighted the snail advantage in food consumption and fast growth rate. The ascorbate biosynthesis pathway identified from the carbohydrate metabolic pathways of A. fulica was involved in the shell biomineralisation process in association with the collagen protein network, carbonic anhydrases, tyrosinases, and several ion transporters. Thus, our bioinformatic workflow was able to reconstruct carbohydrate metabolism, mucus biosynthesis, and shell biomineralisation pathways from the A. fulica genome and transcriptome data. These findings could reveal several evolutionary advantages of the A. fulica snail, and will benefit the discovery of valuable enzymes for industrial and medical applications.

Children's Relationships with a Non-Vertebrate Animal: The Case of a Giant African Land Snail (Achatina fulica) at School.

Employing living animals in educational settings is popular and may assist learning. Human-animal relationships are considered fundamental for the effects of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) on successful learning. Key studies on AAI emphasize dogs, or other large-brained vertebrates, while AAI with non-vertebrate species is a yet rather unexplored field. However, bringing non-vertebrate species to school has ethical and practical advantages. In an exploratory study, we tested whether seven-years-old children would form caregiving relationships with a Giant African land snail (Achatina fulica). Prior to the survey, the snail had been kept inside a terrarium in the classroom for seven months. We employed a questionnaire for measuring children's pet attachment to assess the children's relationships with the snail. The observed relationship scores with the snail were intermediate to high and did not differ from same-aged children's attachment scores with their dogs, cats, and rabbits. No differences due to gender were observed. Children potentially developed caregiving attitudes and empathy towards the snail, and thus, the presented results indicate potential benefits from employing a non-vertebrate species in educational settings, as well as for animal-assisted therapy. The specific features of A. fulica are discussed in the frame of human-animal interactions, learning, and anthropomorphism.

Examining the Predatory Relationship Between the Indigenous Firefly (Aspisoma ignitum) and the Invasive Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica) in Trinidad, West Indies

The current study investigates the predatory relationship between the firefly larvae (Aspisoma ignitum) and the giant African snail (Achatina fulica). The principal objective of this study was to examine the specific predator responsiveness of the firefly larvae against the giant African snails under experimental conditions. This was evaluated using two (2) treatments T1 and T2. T1 investigated giant African snail neonates of size 0.5 cm with a larva to snail ratio of 1:5. In T2, larvae to snail ratio of 3:1 was investigated using 2 cm giant African snail neonates. Control treatments were included in the experimental design with the absence of the larvae. Each treatment was replicated five (5) times. There were 100 % mortality effects for T1 and T2. Commonalities existed in both the spatial and the temporal characteristics to possibly consider the firefly larvae as an idealistic and highly compatible predator for the giant African snail neonates. Ecological engineering strategies to encourage the presence of the firefly will aid in suppressing the giant African snail population. The study concludes that the firefly larvae can be a possible predator for the control of the giant African snail once the firefly populations are encouraged in both crop and non-crop spaces.

Use of plant extracts to control activities of the invasive giant African land snail Achatina fulica

Giant African land snails (Achatina fulica; GALS) are a highly invasive herbivore and pose serious threats to native species and that could disrupt ecosystems. Various botanical extracts have been used as molluscicides to control mollusks for pest management. We aimed to identify the effects of neem (Azadirachta indica) and titepati (Artemisia vulgaris) to reduce GALS activities and survival using solutions of fresh neem leaf and titepati leaf, bark, and root. We found a fast movement in the GALS only in the extraction groups while the lethargic movement was lower in mulching method. A significant association of control groups with different extraction groups along with mulching treatment (p<0.05) however, no differences were observed among different extractions at 2.5% and 5% concentrations. Among the treatments, Neem leaf at 5% concentration was found to be effective as it helped immobilize the samples after ten days whilst other treatments required minimum 14 days to be effective. We recommend further studies of titepati and neem as control agents to reduce crop and vegetable damage from GALS.

Modeling and optimization of transesterification of rubber seed oil using sulfonated CaO derived from giant African land snail (Achatina fulica) catalyst by response surface methodology

Rubber seed oil (RSO) is an abundance of low-cost non-edible vegetable oil and an attractive resource for biodiesel production through transesterification. The study aims to model and optimize the transesterification of RSO to biodiesel using sulfonated CaO derived from snail shells as a bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst. We prepared the raw snail shell (RSS) catalyst by calcination and sulfonated it to produce an acid-activated snail shell (AASS) catalyst. We used the central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM) to model and optimize the transesterification process. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method (BET) were used to characterize RSS and AASS catalysts.The results show that CaO (95.6%) is the major component of RSS. The maximum biodiesel yield of 97.6% was obtained at a 12:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 80 °C reaction temperature, 2.5 h reaction time, and 2.5 wt% catalyst loading with a quadratic regression model. The recyclability of the catalyst shows six runs without an appreciable decrease in biodiesel yield. The AASS catalyst can perform excellently as a bifunctional solid acid heterogeneous catalyst, and the fuel properties of the biodiesel produced compare favorably with American society for testing and materials (ASTM D6751) and European standard methods (EN 14214) standards.

Snail Paradise Trilogy: A Series by Chang En-man

In 1933, a Japanese colonial official introduced the giant African snail (Achatina fulica), originally from East Africa, to Taiwan from Singapore to be raised for food. Since 2009, I have given presentations on this snail, including projects involving recipes, embroidery, maps, interviews, collaborations, and multimedia work. My inspiration comes from my Paiwan (an Indigenous group in Taiwan) mother, who would always gather snails after the rain, cook them, and give them to my siblings and me to eat. Snails were the starting point for my research into my maternal bloodline, which is part of the Taiwanese Indigenous bloodline. From there, I considered how the path of the snail’s dispersal is comparable to the route of imperial expansion in the Pacific, and looked at Taiwan’s history and its relationship to the world. This paper considers my evolving project centered around the giant African snail and offers my thoughts on how traditional Indigenous Taiwanese cooking and sewing practices may be reinterpreted as a strategy for resisting colonisation.

The giant African snail Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich, 1822 as an intermediate host of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Railliet, 1898) in the Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a metastrongilid nematode that causes feline aelurostrongylosis. The adult life stage parasitizes the lungs of wild and domestic felids. Terrestrial mollusks act as its intermediate host, and birds, amphibians, and small mammals act as paratenic hosts. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus presents a worldwide distribution, and in Brazil it has been recorded in most states. The present study investigates the occurrence of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in terrestrial mollusks from urban areas of two out of the six Mesoregions of Rio de Janeiro state: Metropolitana and Centro Fluminense (46 municipalities). Larvae were recovered from the tissue of the mollusks collected during the surveys and identified based on morphology and sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2). In all, 2791 mollusks, belonging to 14 different species, were collected. Larvae of A. abstrusus were recovered from two species: Achatina fulica in 22 out of 46 municipalities, and from the slug Latipes erinaceus in 1 out of 46 municipalities. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus was recorded in half (50%) of the municipalities of the Metropolitana Mesoregion and in 44% of those of the Centro Fluminense Mesoregion. Results indicate a strong association between A. abstrusus and A. fulica, since 99% of the mollusks infected with A. abstrusus were A. fulica. This study recorded A. abstrusus in the Centro Fluminense Mesoregion and naturally parasitizing L. erinaceus for the first time. Despite the high number of mollusks infected with A. abstrusus and their wide distribution in Rio de Janeiro State, there are still few reports of infection in Brazilian felids, probably given that this is an under-diagnosed parasitosis in this country. Further studies in other regions of the Rio de Janeiro State, and other Brazilian States, focusing on intermediate and definitive hosts, particularly in the urban environments where they coexist, are needed. These studies will enable further understanding of the epidemiology and prevention of aelurostrongylosis.

Prediction of Antibacterial Peptides against Propionibacterium acnes from the Peptidomes of Achatina fulica Mucus Fractions.

Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease mainly caused by the Gram-positive pathogenic bacterium, Propionibacterium acnes. This bacterium stimulates the inflammation process in human sebaceous glands. The giant African snail (Achatina fulica) is an alien species that rapidly reproduces and seriously damages agricultural products in Thailand. There were several research reports on the medical and pharmaceutical benefits of these snail mucus peptides and proteins. This study aimed to in silico predict multifunctional bioactive peptides from A. fulica mucus peptidome using bioinformatic tools for the determination of antimicrobial (iAMPpred), anti-biofilm (dPABBs), cytotoxic (ToxinPred) and cell-membrane-penetrating (CPPpred) peptides. Three candidate peptides with the highest predictive score were selected and re-designed/modified to improve the required activities. Structural and physicochemical properties of six anti-P. acnes (APA) peptide candidates were performed using the PEP–FOLD3 program and the four previous tools. All candidates had a random coiled structure and were named APAP-1 ori, APAP-2 ori, APAP-3 ori, APAP-1 mod, APAP-2 mod, and APAP-3 mod. To validate the APA activity, these peptide candidates were synthesized and tested against six isolates of P. acnes. The modified APA peptides showed high APA activity on three isolates. Therefore, our biomimetic mucus peptides could be useful for preventing acne vulgaris and further examined on other activities important to medical and pharmaceutical applications.

First report, morphological and molecular characterization of Caenorhabditis brenneri (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) isolated from the giant African land snail Achatina fulica (Gastropoda: Achatinidae)

First report, morphological and molecular characterization of Caenorhabditis brenneri (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) isolated from the giant African land snail Achatina fulica (Gastropoda: Achatinidae)

Macrozoobenthic community assemblage as key indicator for mangrove restoration success in North Sumatra and Aceh, Indonesia

The recognition of the high value of mangrove forests and the wide array of ecosystem services they provide has motivated investment in worldwide restoration efforts. However, current metrics of functional restoration (other than seedling survival rates and plant community composition) are often not readily available for local community managers, highlighting an urgency to identify easy‐to‐measure indicators to assess the functionality of restored mangroves. The macrozoobenthic community could be such practical indicator, as macrozoobenthic communities are sensitive to changes in their environment, and can be easily surveyed within local managing programs. Focusing on three main mangrove management conditions (natural, planted, and naturally regenerated) in North Sumatra and the province of Aceh, Indonesia, we compared vegetation and macrozoobenthic community diversity indices and identified environmental variables that best describe the forest management conditions and their associated macrozoobenthic community assemblage. Results showed that community assemblage, rather than macrozoobenthic diversity index, was associated with management conditions. The highest dissimilarity in macrozoobenthic community assemblages occurred between planted versus natural mangroves, with nonsignificant dissimilarity between natural and naturally regenerated mangroves. The Lined Nerite gastropod (Nerita balteata) was identified as an indicator of natural mangroves, and the invasive Giant African snail (Achatina fulica) was abundant in mangrove plantations, but also in natural mangroves bordering harbors, oil palm plantations, and aquaculture ponds, suggesting associated anthropogenic pressures. This study showed that the macrozoobenthic community can be used as restoration indicator and could serve as a baseline to empower monitoring activities and community‐based adaptive management practices to improve the outcomes of restoration efforts.

GUT BACTERIAL DIVERSITY BETWEEN POLYGRID LAND SNAILS REFLECT ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENCES

GUT BACTERIAL DIVERSITY BETWEEN POLYGRID LAND SNAILS REFLECT ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENCES

Modeling and Optimization of Transesterification of Rubber Seed Oil Using Sulfonated Cao Derived from Giant African Land Snail (Achatina Fulica) Catalyst by Response Surface Methodology

Modeling and Optimization of Transesterification of Rubber Seed Oil Using Sulfonated Cao Derived from Giant African Land Snail (Achatina Fulica) Catalyst by Response Surface Methodology

Antibacterial, Antibiofilm and Anti-Virulence Activity of Biactive Fractions from Mucus Secretion of Giant African Snail Achatina fulica against Staphylococcus aureus Strains.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important etiological agent that causes skin infections, and has the propensity to form biofilms, leading to significant mortality and morbidity in patients with wounds. Mucus secretion from the Giant African snail Achatina fulica is a potential source of biologically active substances that might be an important source for new drugs to treat resistant and biofilm-forming bacteria such as S. aureus. This study evaluated the effect of semi-purified fractions from the mucus secretion of A. fulica on the growth, biofilm formation and virulence factors of S. aureus. Two fractions: FMA30 (Mw >30 kDa) and FME30 (Mw 30−10 kDa) exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus with a MIC50 of 25 and 125 µg/mL, respectively. An inhibition of biofilm formation higher than 80% was observed at 9 µg/mL with FMA30 and 120 µg/mL with FME30. Furthermore, inhibition of hemolytic and protease activity was determined using a concentration of MIC20, and FME30 showed a strong inhibitory effect in the formation of clots. We report for the first time the effect of semi-purified fractions of mucus secretion of A. fulica on biofilm formation and activity of virulence factors such as α-hemolysin, coagulase and proteases produced by S. aureus strains.

EVALUATION OF CALCIUM CARBONATE CONTENT IN EGGSHELLS OF AVIAN, TURTLE, SNAIL, AND OSTRICH USING CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

In the present study, different eggs were collected and analyzed from five various animal species: European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758)), giant African land snail (Achatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822)), common ostrich (Struthio camelus (Linnaeus, 1758)), white, light-brown, and dark-brown laying hen (Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and European quail (Coturnix coturnix (Linnaeus, 1758). The typical mineral shell mainly composed of the calcite polymorph of CaCO3 but the eggshell consists of membranes, that composed mainly of proteins. The shell quality also could be assigned by several external and internal factors such as oviposition time, animal genotype and age, housing system (for poultry), and mineral nutrition complex. The CaCO3 content was determined by the standard titration method, coz the titration could provide a reliable method for evaluation of CaCO3 content in different types of eggshells. The structural surface characterization of eggshells was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with a field emission gun. In terms of chemical composition, ostrich eggshells generally did not differ much from those of laying hen, turtles, giant snails, or quail eggs, but the concentration of calcium carbonate was the highest. The average calcium carbonate content of various eggshells is between 84 and 98%. The thickness of the eggshell ranges from 0.08 to 1.89 mm, and it is not the same over the entire surface of the egg. At the sharp end of the egg, the shell is slightly thicker than at the blunt end. The purpose of this study was to study the quantitative content of calcium carbonate in various eggshells of different animals to draw further conclusions in which animals the eggshell contains the maximum amount of biological calcium carbonate.

Occurrences and socio-environmental impacts of the Giant African snail (Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822) in urban area of Macapá, Amapá, Brazil

This study aimed to verify the occurrence and socio-environmental impacts of the presence of African Snail in the Açai neighborhood, city of Macapá, State of Amapá, showing problems such as the occurrence of the species and the lack of knowledge of the community about its infestation and control. The interviews were conducted using semi-structured forms to collect information on site and photographic record, for a period of four months (08/2013 to 12/2013). Variables of social and environmental axes were evaluated as impact indicators. The results showed that a greater performance of the public would contribute directly to the quality of life of the population and the environment, promoting the decrease in the occurrence of this snail. An environmental education program aimed at disseminating information on the impacts of African snail should be encouraged. It is necessary to work in the development of legal instruments, as well as in the development of campaigns to clarify the population.