Angiostrongylus infections in rats and snails in northeast Thailand

A survey of Angiostrongylus infections in rats and snails was carried out in the provinces of Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani. Kalasin, Chaiyaphum and Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand. Only two Rattus norvegicus (3.8%) and one Bandicota indica (1.4%) out of 151 R. rattus, 52 R. norvegicus and 69 B. indica examined were infected with adult lung worms. All worms recovered were A. cantonensis. Prevalence of infection in 423 Pila polita was 0.9% while all of 77 P. ampullacea were negative for larvae. In contrast to this 36.4% of 500 Achatina fulica harbored L3 of Angiostrongylus (with variations of between 29% and 46% in the five provinces). The average infection intensity in A. fulica was 13.6 L3 (1 to 441). Experimental infection of Wistar rats with L3 (isolated from A. fulica resulted in a recovery rate of 48.3% of adult worms of which 91.7% and 8.3% were identified as A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis, respectively. This is the first proven finding of A. malaysiensis in northeast Thailand.