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Human Angiostrongylus cantonensis: an update

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Abstract

Angiostrongylus cantonensis was first discovered in 1935 and has become an important emerging pathogen causing human angiostrongyliasis. Major outbreaks of human angiostrongyliasis have been reported in endemic regions. Thousands of cases of human angiostrongyliasis have been documented worldwide. A. cantonensis has spread from its traditional endemic regions of the Pacific islands and Southeast Asia to the American continent including the USA, Caribbean islands and Brazil. Humans acquire A. cantonensis by consumption of raw or undercooked intermediate snail hosts or paratenic hosts. The main clinical manifestations of human angiostrongyliasis are eosinophilic meningitis and ocular angiostrongyliasis. The treatment of this disease includes supportive treatment, corticosteroid therapy, and combined therapy with corticosteroids and anthelminthics. The most effective method for prevention is to persuade people not to eat raw or undercooked intermediate and paratenic hosts.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported in part by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Program) (No.2010CB530000).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Q.-P. Wang & Z.-R. Lun

  2. Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases and Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan Medical School, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Z.-D. Wu, J. Wei & Z.-R. Lun

  3. Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    R. L. Owen

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  1. Q.-P. Wang
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  2. Z.-D. Wu
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Correspondence to Z.-R. Lun.

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Wang, QP., Wu, ZD., Wei, J. et al. Human Angiostrongylus cantonensis: an update. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 31, 389–395 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-011-1328-5

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