Mollusks and Parasites Studies

Researchers studying mollusks and parasites examine how snails and slugs serve as intermediate hosts for nematodes like *Angiostrongylus cantonensis*, a roundworm capable of migrating to the human nervous system and causing eosinophilic meningitis. Understanding these transmission pathways has become more urgent as invasive snail species — particularly the giant African land snail — spread into new regions, carrying parasites into ecosystems and human communities that lack prior exposure. A central challenge is mapping how biodiversity loss and the disruption of native mollusk communities affect the overall burden of parasitic disease, since ecological context shapes which host species the nematode cycles through. Active work is focused on refining surveillance methods for infected snail populations and clarifying the ecological conditions that allow invasive hosts to amplify transmission risk.

Works

112,594

Total citations

292,051

Keywords

SnailsParasitismAngiostrongylusMollusksInvasive SpeciesEosinophilic Meningitis