A parasitic worm that infects rats has established a new population in Georgia after previously being found in other southeastern states.
A parasite that normally lives in the lungs of rats can infect the human brain if accidentally ingested in contaminated food — and now, the worm has claimed new territory in Georgia.The parasite, called rat lungworm , mostly infects people in Southeast Asia and is also endemic to Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Considered invasive in the continental U.S.
"Because A. cantonensis lungworm previously was identified in rats in neighboring states Florida and Alabama, A. cantonensis populations likely were in Georgia much earlier than 2019, when the first positive rat was identified in Atlanta," the researchers wrote in a report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
How can rat lungworms get into humans? The adult parasites live in rat lungs and only infect rats, but rats can pass the larvae of the parasites in their poop, according to the CDC. Snails and slugs can then become infected by eating the larvae, and by eating raw or undercooked snails or slugs, people can get infected in turn.
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