The global risk of infectious disease emergence from giant land snail invasion and pet trade.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pathogen outbreaks mostly originate from animals, but some species are more likely to trigger epidemics. The giant land snail (Lissachatina fulica) is a widespread invader, a popular exotic pet, and a notorious vector of the rat lungworm, causing eosinophilic meningitis in humans. However, a comprehensive assessment of the risks of disease outbreak associated with this species is lacking.

Methods

We assessed and mapped the risk of disease transmission associated with the invasion and pet trade of L. fulica. First, we conducted a review of the scientific literature to list all known L. fulica parasites and pathogens and query host-pathogen databases to identify their potential mammalian hosts. Then, to assess the potential for L. fulica to spread globally, we model

SUBMITTER: Gippet JMW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10580515 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature