A worm parasite that is known to infect rat lungs has been found in a new population in Georgia after being previously spotted in southeastern regions.
Parasitic Rat Lungworm
This was found in a new study that was conducted from 2019 to 2022. The rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) was observed in brown rats in Atlanta.
Previously, the rat lungworm was found in rats from Alabama and Florida, which are neighboring states of Georgia. Hence, populations of the parasite may have been in Georgia even before 2019, before the identification of the first positive rat. This posits that the parasite was brought in and has become established in this new US region.
The researchers note that because of the insufficiency of the quality of the sample and the degradation of DNA, the worms of remaining rats could not be identified. Hence, other worm species were not ruled out.
Nevertheless, the rats had symptoms that indicated infections brought about by the rat lungworm.
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Parasite Worm Can Infect Humans
The parasite is considered invasive across continental USA and likely reached the country's southeastern areas in the 80s when rats reached New Orleans via ships. Ever since, there have been sporadic human infection cases reported in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee, among others.
While the parasitic worms only live in the lungs of rats and infect rats, the parasite can be passed down through the poop of these rats, which may include parasitic larvae. Slugs and snails that consume the larvae may end up getting infected, while humans who consume undercook slugs or snails could get infected as well.
Aside from this, eating produce that is raw and that may contain a tiny slug, snail, or portion of the creation may lead to infections in humans. Other animals, including frogs, crabs, and freshwater shrimp, may also get larvae infections and transmit it to humans if humans consume these animals undercooked or raw. However, this link is not very well-established.
When the rat lungworm infects a person, it may lead to eosinophilic meningitis, which is a brain infection with symptoms including stiff neck, headache, tingling, low-grade fever, and nausea, among others.
Most lungworm infections tend to spontaneously resolve over time without any specialized treatments. This is because the worm cannot live long in the human body. However, there are cases when serious complications take place and lead to neurological dysfunction or even death.
Generally, infections can be avoided by being aware about lungworm habitats and by not consuming undercooked or raw snails, shrimp, land crabs, sluds, monitor lizards, frogs, or other potentially contaminated juices or vegetables.
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