Universidade Tiradentes - UNIT, Graduate Program in Health and the Environment, Av. Murilo Dantas, 300, Bairro Farolândia, 49032-490, Aracaju, SE, Brazil; Laboratory of Malacology of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Pavilhão Adolpho Lutz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, 21040-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Laboratory of Malacology of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Pavilhão Adolpho Lutz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Manguinhos, 21040-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2024 Sep;54:101096. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101096. Epub 2024 Aug 14.
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.
巨型非洲陆地蜗牛 Achatina fulica 已知是多种线虫的中间宿主，这些线虫对人类和兽医健康有害，也是农业和城市害虫。本研究调查了巴西东北部塞尔希培州 24 个城市的 A. fulica 和其他陆生软体动物中是否存在线虫。在 2019 年和 2020 年，使用标准的 20m×10m 样方（每个样方 10 分钟/01 个采集者）收集标本，而在 2021 年，使用方便抽样收集标本。线虫物种的鉴定基于线粒体细胞色素 C 氧化酶亚基 I (COI) 基因和核糖体核内转录间隔区（ITS 2）的测序。在四个城市采集到感染导致人类和动物嗜酸性脑膜炎（EM）的线虫 Angiostrongylus cantonensis 的 A. fulica 标本。在七个城市还鉴定出两种具有兽医重要性的线虫，Aelurostrongylus abstrusus 和 Cruzia tentaculata。这是在塞尔希培州首次记录 Cruzia tentaculata。在 18 个城市还发现了自由生活的线虫。其中一种 - Caenorhabditis briggsae - 在伊塔巴亚纳市被鉴定出来。还收集了其他软体动物的标本。只有一种软体动物，来自雅帕拉塔巴的 C. fasciata ，被发现感染了自由生活的线虫。在旱季，A. fulica 的线虫阳性率更高，尤其是在下圣弗朗西斯科河、大阿雷西乌和中塞尔希培地区。当软体动物更大且在样方中更频繁出现时，感染的可能性增加。鉴于 A. cantonensis 是 EM 的病原体，并且在四个城市与 A. fulica 相关，重要的是要实施对软体动物群的持续监测计划，结合提供控制 A. fulica 所需信息的教育计划。
