Prevalence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in snails for sale in Fuzhou and Xiamen

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in snails for sale from Fuzhou and Xiamen of Fujian Province. Methods During 2009-2012, two markets and five restaurants from each city were selected as surveillance sites. A. cantonensis infection rate in Pomacea canaliculata, Bellamya aeruginosa and Cipangopaludina cathayensis was examined two times per month. More than 50 P. canaliculata or C. cathayensis, and about 500 g B. aeruginosa were collected in each site. A. cantonensis larvae infection was determined by lung-microscopy in P. canaliculata, and by tissue homogenate method in C. cathayensis and B. aeruginosa, respectively. Results In mar kets, a total of 5 744 P. canaliculata were collected, and the infection rate of A. cantonensis larvae was 13.8%(753/5 744)with the lowest prevalence in 2009(8.4%, 28/334) and the highest one in 2011(16.7%, 361/2 160). The overall infection rate of A. cantonensis showed an increasing trend over the past years(P0.05). In restaurants, 879 P. canaliculata snails were examined in Xiamen City, and the infection rate was 12.8%(877/6 879). No significant difference was found among years(P0.05). A. cantonensis larvae were found from P. canaliculata for sale in different seasons with no statistical difference(P0.05). 19 843 B. aeruginosa snails were collected in markets from the two cities, and the infection rate was 0.2%(31/19 843). The infection rate was highest in 2011(0.3%, 16/5 953) and lowest in 2010(0.04%, 2/4 706).All the 361 C. cathayensis snails were negative. Conclusion A. cantonensis larvae are found in P. canaliculata and B. aeruginosas from markets and restaurants of Fuzhou and Xiamen in different seasons during the years.