Introduction
Angiostrongyliasis is a parasitic disease caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongylus costaricensis
-They possess distinctive, coiled pattern due to their uterine tubes
-Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common cause of human eosinophilic meningitis
-it is transmitted between rats and mollusks (such as slugs or snails) in its natural life cycle
-Most cases of infection are diagnosed in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin,
-Humans acquire the Infection by ingesting raw or undercooked infected snails or slugs or foods contaminated by the slime of infected snails or slugs
Symptoms & Signs
Meningeal Angiostrongyliasis: Eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis; headaches,nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, cranial and extraocular nerve palsies, seizures, paralysis, lethargy
Abdominal Angiostrongyliasis: caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis; mimics appendicitis; nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is based on epidemiologic history, clinical features and labs
Labs: Eosinophilia
Epidemiologic history: History of travel to endemic regions, of eating snails and slugs
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for Angiostrongyliasis