Treyfish
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<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right></TD><TD noWrap align=left>27-MAR-2009</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Angiostrongylus meningitis - Taiwan</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Date: Fri 27 Mar 2009Source: Taipei Times [edited]<http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/03/27/2003439499>Angiostrongylus in Thai workers after consuming raw snails----------------------------------------------------------Earlier this month (March 2009), 4 out of 5 Thai workers who ate raw snails became infected with a potentially deadly parasite [_Angiostrongylus_], the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday [25 Mar 2009]. Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director Chou Jih-Haw said that 3 of the workers were in stable condition, while one had left Taiwan and the other had not shown any symptoms of illness.Three of the workers were reported to have been infected with the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis -- an elongated cylindrical worm -- early this month and developed symptoms of eosinophilic meningitis, including headaches, fever and vomiting, Chou said. The DOH discovered that the trio and some of their friends had caught apple snails (_Pomacea canaliculata_) in fish ponds in southern Taiwan and eaten them raw with sauce.Snails are usually the primary host of the worm, also known as the rat lungworm -- a parasite endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. Humans become infected by ingesting the parasite's larvae, which are then carried in the blood to the central nervous system. This can result in eosinophilic meningitis, which is characterized in the early stages by severe and acute headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, and stiffness of the neck, and can result in death or permanent brain damage.Chou said that it was once believed that eating giant African snails could cure certain illnesses and that there were frequent reports in Taiwan of infections of this type of roundworm.A 70-year-old man in Kaohsiung was treated for the same conditions in 2007 after eating raw frogs in an effort to cure back pain. Another case in 2005 saw Hualien's Tzu-Chi Buddhist General Hospital treat a 48-year-old man who had become infected with the parasite after eating raw snails. In 1998, 8 Thai workers came down with eosinophilic meningitis as result of eating raw snails and in 1999, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital reported that 9 Thai laborers had been infected with rat lungworms.In light of the recent case, the DOH said it would contact Thai authorities to step up health education to avoid a recurrence of the problem.--Communicated by
roMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland[_Angiostrongylus cantonensis_ is transmitted to humans eating raw fresh water snails and lettuce contaminated with infected slugs. Human infection with _Angiostrongylus cantonensis_ is common in Thailand and is seen especially in the northeastern region, where it is associated with the habit of eating koi-hoi, which contains raw snail meat (Eamsobhana P et al. Thai Koi-Hoi Snail Dish and Angiostrongyliasis Due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Effects of Food Flavoring and Alcoholic Drink on the Third-Stage Larvae in Infected Snail Meat. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 2009 Mar 9).Ocular Angiostrongylus has also been described from Thailand (Sinawat S et al. Ocular angiostrongyliasis: clinical study of 3 cases. Eye 2008;22:1446-8).:tiphat:http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,76775</PRE>
Date: Fri 27 Mar 2009Source: Taipei Times [edited]<http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/03/27/2003439499>Angiostrongylus in Thai workers after consuming raw snails----------------------------------------------------------Earlier this month (March 2009), 4 out of 5 Thai workers who ate raw snails became infected with a potentially deadly parasite [_Angiostrongylus_], the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday [25 Mar 2009]. Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director Chou Jih-Haw said that 3 of the workers were in stable condition, while one had left Taiwan and the other had not shown any symptoms of illness.Three of the workers were reported to have been infected with the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis -- an elongated cylindrical worm -- early this month and developed symptoms of eosinophilic meningitis, including headaches, fever and vomiting, Chou said. The DOH discovered that the trio and some of their friends had caught apple snails (_Pomacea canaliculata_) in fish ponds in southern Taiwan and eaten them raw with sauce.Snails are usually the primary host of the worm, also known as the rat lungworm -- a parasite endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. Humans become infected by ingesting the parasite's larvae, which are then carried in the blood to the central nervous system. This can result in eosinophilic meningitis, which is characterized in the early stages by severe and acute headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, and stiffness of the neck, and can result in death or permanent brain damage.Chou said that it was once believed that eating giant African snails could cure certain illnesses and that there were frequent reports in Taiwan of infections of this type of roundworm.A 70-year-old man in Kaohsiung was treated for the same conditions in 2007 after eating raw frogs in an effort to cure back pain. Another case in 2005 saw Hualien's Tzu-Chi Buddhist General Hospital treat a 48-year-old man who had become infected with the parasite after eating raw snails. In 1998, 8 Thai workers came down with eosinophilic meningitis as result of eating raw snails and in 1999, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital reported that 9 Thai laborers had been infected with rat lungworms.In light of the recent case, the DOH said it would contact Thai authorities to step up health education to avoid a recurrence of the problem.--Communicated by
roMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland[_Angiostrongylus cantonensis_ is transmitted to humans eating raw fresh water snails and lettuce contaminated with infected slugs. Human infection with _Angiostrongylus cantonensis_ is common in Thailand and is seen especially in the northeastern region, where it is associated with the habit of eating koi-hoi, which contains raw snail meat (Eamsobhana P et al. Thai Koi-Hoi Snail Dish and Angiostrongyliasis Due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Effects of Food Flavoring and Alcoholic Drink on the Third-Stage Larvae in Infected Snail Meat. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 2009 Mar 9).Ocular Angiostrongylus has also been described from Thailand (Sinawat S et al. Ocular angiostrongyliasis: clinical study of 3 cases. Eye 2008;22:1446-8).:tiphat:http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,76775</PRE>