ON THE INCIDENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE RAT LUNGWORM ANGIOSTRONGYLUS CANTONENSIS IN THE COOK ISLANDS, WITH OBSERVATIONS MADE IN NEW ZEALAND AND WESTERN SAMOA

1964 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Alicata ◽  
Dennis D. McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Eosinophilic Meningitis ◽  
Infective Larvae ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Western Samoa ◽  
Rat Lungworm ◽  
Paratenic Hosts ◽  
Made In ◽  
Land Mollusks

Of a total of 240 rats examined on the island of Rarotonga, 85.0% showed lungworm infection. No lungworms were found among 61 rats trapped in and around Auckland, New Zealand, and none among 95 rats trapped in the vicinity of Apia, Western Samoa. Of land mollusks examined on the island of Rarotonga, the following species were found infected with lungworm larvae: (slugs) Deroceras laeve and Vaginalus plebeius, and (snails) Bradybaena similaris and Subulina octona. In addition, a few infective larvae were found among land planarians and freshwater prawns, both of which serve as paratenic hosts. The finding of the rat lungworm on the island of Rarotonga offers an additional example in the Pacific of the occurrence of this parasite in an area where human eosinophilic meningitis occurs.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE METHOD OF HUMAN INFECTION WITH ANGIOSTRONGYLUS CANTONENSIS IN TAHITI

1962 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 755-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Alicata ◽  
Robert W. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Causative Agent ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Freshwater Snail ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Intact Skin ◽  
Infective Larvae ◽  
Rat Lungworm ◽  
Land Mollusks

Infective larvae of the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the causative agent of parasitic meningoencephalitis in man, have been found in about 4% of the stomach contents of freshwater prawns examined in Tahiti. This is believed to constitute the main source of the local human infection. These crustaceans and "taioro," a food consisting of grated coconut and prawn juice, are commonly eaten raw by Tahitians and some local Europeans. Infected mollusks have also been found on vegetation commonly eaten raw, and may constitute an occasional source of human infection. Laboratory-raised rats have been experimentally infected with A. cantonensis by applying infective larvae on the abraded skin. No infection occurred when the larvae were placed on the intact skin. In addition to land mollusks, the freshwater snail (Fossaria ollula) was also found to be a suitable intermediate host for A. cantonensis.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE INFECTIVE LARVAE OF ANGIOSTRONGYLUS CANTONENSIS AND THOSE OF ANAFILAROIDES ROSTRATUS

1963 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Alicata
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Infective Larvae ◽  
Anal Opening ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Rat Lungworm ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Paratenic Hosts ◽  
Rats And Mice ◽  
Biological Differences

Third-stage larvae of the rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, can be differentiated from those of the cat lungworm, Anafilaroides rostratus, on the basis of shorter body length, shorter esophagus, and in some cases on the position of the genital primordium. In A. cantonensis the length of the body is 460 to 510 μ and the length of the esophagus, including the buccal cavity, is 171 to 198 μ. The genital primordium is 120 to 135 μ from the anal opening. In A. rostratus the length of the body is 545 to 655 μ, and that of the esophagus is 218 to 246 μ. The genital primordium is 37 to 153 μ from the anal opening. The infective larvae of A. rostratus do not migrate to the central nervous system as do those of A. cantonensis. The larvae of A. rostratus have been found to re-encyst in the liver of rats and mice which serve as paratenic hosts.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Human angiostrongylosis

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiao-Ping Wang ◽  
Zhao-Rong Lun
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Eosinophilic Meningitis ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Zoonotic Pathogen ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Main Clinical Manifestation

Angiostrongylus cantonensis was first discovered in rats in Guangzhou (Canton), China in 1935 (Chen 1935). A. cantonensis is a zoonotic pathogen, which causes human angiostrongylosis with the main clinical manifestation of eosinophilic meningitis. The first case of human angiostrongylosis was reported in Taiwan in 1945. Subsequently several outbreaks of this disease occurred in Pacific Islands (Rosen et al. 1961; Kliks and Palumbo 1992). In the past decade, a number of outbreaks of human angiostrongylosis have emerged in some endemic regions, especially in China (Wang et al. 2008). Additionally, increasing numbers of travellers are diagnosed with eosinophilic meningitis caused by A. cantonensis after returning from endemic regions (Lo et al. 2001; Slom et al. 2002; Bartschi et al. 2004; Podwall et al. 2004; Kumar et al. 2005; Leone et al. 2007; Ali et al. 2008). The parasite continues to threaten human beings, especially people living in the Pacific Islands and Asia. So far, at least 2,825 cases have been recorded; of them, 1,337 were reported in Thailand, 769 in China (Hong Kong and Taiwan), 256 in Tahiti, 116 in the USA (Hawaii and Samoa) and 114 cases in Cuba (Wang et al. 2008).

scholarly journals Pharmacological Management of Severe Neuropathic Pain in a Case of Eosinophilic Meningitis Related to Angiostrongylus cantonensis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Busse ◽  
David Gottlieb ◽  
Krystal Ferreras ◽  
Jennifer Bain ◽  
William Schechter
Keyword(s):  
Neuropathic Pain ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Eosinophilic Meningitis ◽  
Pharmacological Management ◽  
Ketamine Infusion ◽  
Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor ◽  
Rat Lungworm ◽  
Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor ◽  
Norepinephrine Reuptake

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common infectious cause of eosinophilic meningitis and can be fatal. The parasite can be found throughout Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands and the global distribution is expanding. We present the case of a fourteen-year-old female who had previously traveled to Hawaii and developed severe neuropathic pain related to A. cantonensis infection refractory to gabapentin and pregabalin monotherapy, who was eventually managed with an ultralow dose ketamine infusion, methadone, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

Angiostrongyliasis

2020 ◽  
pp. 1516-1519
Author(s):  
Richard Knight
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Eosinophilic Meningitis ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Ocular Lesions ◽  
Rat Lungworm ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Hepatic Lesions ◽  
Paratenic Hosts ◽  
Human Infections

The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis causes outbreaks of eosinophilic meningitis in parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, Oceania, and the Caribbean. Human infections follow ingestion of raw snails (the primary intermediate hosts), food contaminated by snail mucus, or one of several paratenic hosts. Clinical manifestations include headache, meningism, vomiting, cranial nerve, ocular, lesions, and rarely seizures. Lumbar puncture reveals eosinophilic meningitis and sometimes larval worms. Treatment is usually with prednisolone alone, or with albendazole and prednisolone. Mortality is usually below 2%. Prevention is by avoidance of raw high-risk dietary items and unwashed salads. Another species A. costaricensis causes granulomatous bowel and hepatic lesions in some tropical American countries. Rats are the definiitive hosts, human infection follows ingestion of small slugs. Treatment is surgical.

Extended Cruising The Second Time Around

1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth E. Court
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Good Reading ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sailing Yacht ◽  
The Subject ◽  
One Year ◽  
Port Said ◽  
Naval Architect ◽  
Made In

Some years ago, in 1975, I presented a paper and a slide show at an earlier sailing yacht symposium in Annapolis. The subject was a four-year, 28,000 mile cruise I had made in the years 1965 - 1968 most of the way around the world: Hawaii and the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia's Barrier Reef, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, including the Greek Islands, an Atlantic crossing to Barbados from the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, and home to the Chesapeake. The paper I wrote then was entitled "Extended Cruising: An Overview" and contained sketches and data from my logs. It was same 55 pages long and talked about many facets of cruising from my vantage point, primarily as seen from the decks of Mamari, the 28 foot ketch I had bought in New Zealand. Lest Mamari 's size appear too small, which perhaps would make me seen heroic, recognize that in displacement and accomodations Mamari was the equivalent of a 33 foot boat. To dispel one other misconception, be advised that I normally sailed with a crew of two, sometimes more, and only sailed two legs single-handed, of about 500 miles each, one from Tonga to Fiji in the Pacific, the other in the Gulf of Suez and from Port Said to the Greek Islands. The 1975 paper reflected my background as a naval architect, combined with my experience as a sailor. I told of things I learned from others. I analyzed log data, presented photographs, drawings and tables, and wrote a series of "yarns" such as sailors spin about their travels. The paper is touched with a flavor of the sea, a flavor of talk over run or coffee in a snug anchorage or on a shared night watch. That 1975 paper makes good reading, and much of the information is still valid. It could be reprinted and if there is enough interest l will do so (contact me). This present paper is a brief look at my experiences on a series of sailing trips, but in particular a one year voyage in a 37 foot yawl from Turkey to the Chesapeake via the West Indies in 1980-81. The paper answers the question posed at the 1975 symposium, would I do the trip again? Then, I thought so, but could not be sure, now my reply is, "of course."

Cluster of eosinophilic meningitis attributable to Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in French policemen troop returning from the Pacific Islands

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 301-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Malvy ◽  
Khaled Ezzedine ◽  
Marie-Catherine Receveur ◽  
Thierry Pistone ◽  
Lionel Crevon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Eosinophilic Meningitis ◽  
The Pacific

Charles Francis Adams: diary of a young American taxidermist visiting New Zealand, 1884–1887

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Gill
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
East Indies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Set Up ◽  
White Island

In December 1884 Charles Francis Adams (1857–1893) left Illinois, USA, by train for San Francisco and crossed the Pacific by ship to work as taxidermist at Auckland Museum, New Zealand, until February 1887. He then went to Borneo via several New Zealand ports, Melbourne and Batavia (Jakarta). This paper concerns a diary by Adams that gives a daily account of his trip to Auckland and the first six months of his employment (from January to July 1885). In this period Adams set up a workshop and diligently prepared specimens (at least 124 birds, fish, reptiles and marine invertebrates). The diary continues with three reports of trips Adams made from Auckland to Cuvier Island (November 1886), Karewa Island (December 1886) and White Island (date not stated), which are important early descriptive accounts of these small offshore islands. Events after leaving Auckland are covered discontinuously and the diary ends with part of the ship's passage through the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), apparently in April 1887. Adams's diary is important in giving a detailed account of a taxidermist's working life, and in helping to document the early years of Auckland Museum's occupation of the Princes Street building.

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