New arrivalYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
Did you know that snails can cause meningitis?
The Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services (FDACS) has warned Pasco County to be aware of the Giant African Snail (GALS), which can carry a rare rat lungworm called Angiostrongylus cantonensis. This can cause meningitis in humans. Pest warning. ”
“African snails … are one of the most invasive pests on the planet, damaging agriculture and the environment where they are found,” the report added.
FDACS said it confirmed the presence of a giant white-shaped giant african snail two days after receiving notification of a “potential” population of snails in New Port Richey, Pasco County on June 21. ..
New York beaches reopen following long island shark attacks
“The phenotype of Pasco County has creamy white meat as opposed to the grayish-brown meat of the phenotype eradicated in the Miami region,” said Erin M. Moffett, FDACS Communications Director. Said.
Moffett told Fox News that the mollusk detection dog Melon is actively investigating pests.
The agency said on their website that it would treat real estate with certain snail baits, which are metaldehyde-based mollusk pesticides labeled for residential use by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Metaldehyde is a pesticide used to control snails and is approved for use in many crops, fruit trees, avocados, citrus orchards, berry plants, banana plants, and limited residential areas.
According to the website, pesticides interfere with the snail’s ability to produce mucus, thereby reducing digestion and mobility and making it more susceptible to dehydration.
After eating metaldehyde, GALS often seeks hiding places, then ceases activity and begins to die within a few days.
“The FDACS plant industry sector will begin investigating the area, enact quarantines and begin treatment of this harmful pest on June 29, 2022,” said the State Department.
“It is illegal to move Giant African Snails or regulated items (plants, parts of plants, plants in soil, soil, garden waste, debris, compost, building materials, etc.) into, during, or out of quarantine. Areas without compliance agreements. ”
Snails are popular in pet trading in other countries, but FDACS reports that they are federal banned organisms that cannot be legally sold or possessed.
“Giant African Snail is one of the most damaging snails in the world and consumes at least 500 species of plants. These snails cause enormous damage to tropical and subtropical environments, so Florida’s agriculture and nature. It can have a devastating impact on the region, “FDACS said on their website.
According to the FDACS website, the state first eradicated pests in 1975 after detecting them in 1969, and more recently in 2011 in Miami-Dade County and then in 2021.
Snails can cause a disease called Angiostrongylus cantonensis or rat paragonimiasis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Infected mice cough the worm from their lungs to their throat, where they are swallowed. The worm is now in the mouse’s digestive system and eventually becomes rat droppings,” said the CDC. ..
Snails can be transmitted in two ways. Inadvertently eating rat droppings or invading the snail’s body.
“When a rat eats an infected slug or snail, the cycle begins again,” the CDC added.
Most cases of rat lung disease occur in parts of the Asia-Pacific Islands, but some occur in the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States, such as Hawaii and Louisiana.
So why do humans need to worry about it?
Listeria outbreaks may be linked to Florida, the CDC said
Eating raw worm-infected snails, poorly cooked snails, and unwashed fruits and vegetables that contain snails can cause the disease.
“People show symptoms of bacterial meningitis such as nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and headache, which are often general and severe,” said the CDC.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“Most infectious diseases[Angiostrongylus cantonensis]Parasites cannot survive long in the human body and will resolve themselves over time without special treatment. However, serious complications rarely occur and can lead to neurological dysfunction and death. ”
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried and FDACS will hold a press conference on recent GALS detections from FDACS’Clearwater office. The press conference will be streamed live on the ministry’s Facebook page.