Eating Centipedes Can Result in Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection: Two Case Reports and Pathogen Investigation

Abstract

Angiostrongyliasis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by the nematode <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> that can lead to eosinophilic meningitis (EM) or meningoencephalitis in humans. <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> is prevalent in the Pacific Islands. In recent years, a large number of outbreaks and severe cases have occurred. Several species of mollusk, such as snails and slugs, act as intermediate and paratenic hosts of <i>A. cantonensis</i>. In this study, two cases of EM were found to have been caused by infection with <i>A. cantonensis</i> due to consumption of raw centipedes. To survey the <i>A. cantonensis</i> infections acquired through centipedes that the patients had bought at a vegetable market, we performed etiological examinations and polymerase chain reaction amplification of <i>A. cantonensis</i> genes. Third-instar larvae of <i>A. cantonensis</i> were detected in the centipedes, and specific genes from <i>A. cantonensis</i> were detected in all the specimens. This indicates that the centipede may act as a competent host for the transmission of <i>A. cantonensis</i>. To our knowledge, this is the first report of <i>A. cantonensis</i> infection through the consumption of centipedes.