Abstract:

The Giant African land snail, Achatina achatina, is an invasive species recognized for being a serious agricultural pest and vector for diverse parasites that cause diseases in humans. This study assessed the prevalence of parasites harboured by the snails collected from bushes in the Otuoke community of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The snail samples were collected and transported to the laboratory for examination using wet mouth preparation and teasing methods. Subsequently, they were classified by size into small, medium and large. The body organs were individually teased and examined under the microscope. 122 snail samples (32 small, 54 medium, 36 large) were randomly collected for this study and examined for the presence of eggs or larvae of parasites, out of which 108 (88.5%) were infected. The larvae of only two species of parasites, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (90.1%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (9.9%)) were recovered from the infected snails, with A. cantonensis being most prevalent, 737 (90.1%). The parasites were most prevalent in the medium snails (42.6%), followed by the small size (23.8%) and then, the large size snails with the least prevalence of infection. The slime, intestine and stomach were infected, with the parasites being more in the slime (88.5%) than any other body parts. Since the Giant African land snail serves as an intermediate host for several parasites, a thorough understanding of the snail parasites' lifecycles and modes of transmission to humans is important, for human health and welfare, sustainable snail farming, and for maintenance of snail biodiversity.