A parasite first identified in 1933 in China is drawing renewed attention in part because of how easily it may travel on leafy greens and other produce.
What happened?
Over 90 years ago in Guangzhou, scientist H.T. Chen first described the parasite that would later become known as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, or rat lungworm.
Researchers later found the parasite's larvae in a human patient in Taiwan, showing rat lungworm could infect people too, according to A-Z Animals.
The parasite's typical life cycle runs through rats along with slugs and snails. When humans, dogs, or other animals ingest it instead, it can't complete its usual cycle and may stay in the central nervous system, where it can cause serious illness.
Rat lungworm has since been found in Southeast Asia, Australia, Latin America, and warmer pockets of the U.S., including Hawai'i, Florida, and the Gulf Coast, where it has been detected in new areas in recent years.
Roughly 7,000 human cases have been recorded worldwide, according to A-Z Animals, and about 10 are identified each year in the U.S., mostly in Hawai'i.
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Why does it matter?
Most people who get sick never intentionally eat a snail. The main route is contaminated produce, especially lettuce. The parasite can also spread through undercooked hosts, including freshwater prawns, frogs, crayfish, crabs, and some freshwater fish.
Symptoms of infection in humans can start with headache, fever, fatigue, neck pain, numbness, and sensitivity to light. More severe cases can develop into meningitis, paralysis, coma, disability, and even death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diagnosis may include blood tests administered by a trained health care provider as well as tests for meningitis.
What's being done?
Health officials monitor slug and snail populations to help track where risks may emerge.
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Invasive species, global shipping, and the pet trade have all helped carry the parasite beyond where it was first described, and a warming world may make more places hospitable to the animal hosts that can carry it.
What can I do?
Washing produce well is one of the most important precautions, since leafy greens can hide very small slugs and snails.
Seafood and freshwater animals that can act as transport hosts—including freshwater prawns, frogs, crayfish, crabs, and snails—should be thoroughly cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce risk.
Aquarium owners and exotic pet keepers may need to take precautions too. Apple snails, often used as tank cleaners, and giant African land snails are considered efficient hosts for the parasite, and keeping them away from food preparation spaces can reduce risk too.
Dog owners should stay alert as well. A-Z Animals noted that a dog that may have eaten a slug or snail and then shows hind-leg weakness or tenderness around the head and neck should see a veterinarian.
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