Angiostrongylus costaricensis

Angiostrongylus costaricensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Nematoda
Class:	Chromadorea
Order:	Rhabditida
Family:	Angiostrongylidae
Genus:	Angiostrongylus
Species:	A. costaricensis
Binomial name
Angiostrongylus costaricensis Morera & Céspedes, 1971[1]

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a species of parasitic nematode and is the causative agent of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in humans.^[1] It occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean.^[2][3]

Hosts

Rodents are the normal definitive hosts, especially the

• Limax maximus ^[2]
• Slugs from the family Veronicellidae^[3]

Pathology

Pathology is due to both the adults and the eggs. Adults in the ileo-caecal arterioles cause an inflammatory (eosinophilic) response in humans. In the Cotton Rat the adult worms cause local haemorrhages.^{[citation needed]}

The intestinal wall is also affected. In humans there is a thickening of the intestinal wall (ileum, appendix and caecum). In rats with heavy infestations there is a yellow discolouring of the surface of the intestinal walls.^{[citation needed]}

Clinical signs and diagnosis

• Abdominal pain which presents as a palpable mass on clinical examination
• Anorexia
• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting

In the blood and tissue biopsy there is

This is a rare disease. In Martinique, a French island of the Antilles, two confirmed cases and two probable cases were identified during an 18-year period (2000-2017), with an estimated incidence of 0.2 cases per year (0.003 case/year/100.000 inhabitants).^[4]

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based primarily on detection of worms and/or eggs in biopsy specimens.^[3]

References

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