Emerging Infectious Diseases (Oct 2023)

Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection in Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus), Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2019–2022

  • Nicole L. Gottdenker,
  • Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos,
  • Hassan Hakimi,
  • Brittany McHale,
  • Sam Rivera,
  • Bryce M. Miller,
  • Elizabeth W. Howerth,
  • Caitlin E. Burrell,
  • Justin M. Stilwell,
  • Rita McManamon,
  • Guilherme G. Verocai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2910.230706
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 10
pp. 2167 – 2170

Abstract

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Rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), a zoonotic parasite invasive to the United States, causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. A. cantonensis harbors in rat reservoir hosts and is transmitted through gastropods and other paratenic hosts. We discuss the public health relevance of autochthonous A. cantonensis cases in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

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