A female patients with ages of 3 admitted urgently in the Institute of ophthalmology in 12/2001 due to the a white spot in the right eye. The examination, paraclinical tests diagnosed as a worm invaded into the ocular anterior chamber that damaged the iris. The patients operated emergency after 3 hours of hospitalization. The results have shown that the causative agent was Angiostrongylus wantonness (male) with opaque, length of 15 mm its stem covered by smooth peal, circle head and obvious teeth.
Anterior Chamber ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis

The amount of labelled glucose incorporated into glycogen is 6 times as much as that of labelled mannose by the female worms. They excreted lactate of labelled glucose-origin 3-4 times as much as that of labelled mannose-origin. The amount of labelled glucose incorprated in worm bodies is about 3 times as much as that of labelled mannose. Male worms absorbed a half amount of glucose by female worms. Paralelled with radioactivity studies mentioned above, chemical determinations of sugars, lactate, and glycogen were performed on the media prior and posterior to incubation and the worms. The results obtained from chemical determinations fairly agreed with those on lactate production and sugar consumption from radioactivity studies, but not on glycogen content of worms after incubation. Chemical determination shows no glycogen synthesis in worms incubated in mannose media while the radioactivity of labelled mannose was detected, though it is very low in activity, from glycogen of worms in the media. Coupled with previously reported findings, results from the present study show mannose to be far less significant in the carbohydrate metabolism of Angiostrongylus cantonensis as compared with glucose.
parasitology-helminth-nematode ; lactate ; glucose ; mannose ; glycogen ; biochemistry ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Steroids are commonly used in patients with eosinophilic meningitis caused by A. cantonensis infections. The mechanism steroids act on eosinophilic meningitis remains unclear. In this mouse experiments, expressions of 14-3-3 isoform β and γ proteins significantly increased in the CSF 2–3 weeks after the infection, but not increasedin the dexamethasone-treated group. Expression of 14-3-3 β, γ, ɛ, and θ isoforms increased in brain meninges over the 3-week period after infection and decreased due to dexamethasone treatment. In conclusion, administration of dexamethasone in mice with eosinophilic meningitis decreased expressions of 14-3-3 isoform proteins in the CSF and in brain meninges.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Angiostrongylus ; Animals ; Brain ; Dexamethasone ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Meninges ; Meningitis ; Mice ; Protein Isoforms ; Steroids

Angiostrongyliasis is difficult to be diagnosed for the reason that no ideal method can be used. Serologic tests require specific equipment and are not always available in poverty-stricken zone and are time-consuming. A lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) may be useful for angiostrongyliasis control. We established a LFIA for the diagnosis of angiostrongyliasis based on 2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against antigens of Angiostrongylus cantonensis adults. The sensitivity and specificity were 91.1% and 100% in LFIA, while those of commercial ELISA kit was 97.8% and 86.3%, respectively. Youden index was 0.91 in LFIA and 0.84 in commercial ELISA kit. LFIA showed detection limit of 1 ng/ml of A. cantonensis ES antigens. This LFIA was simple, rapid, highly sensitive and specific, which opened an alternative approach for the diagnosis of human angiostrongyliasis.
Adult ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis* ; Angiostrongylus* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans* ; Immunoassay* ; Limit of Detection ; Methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests

OBJECTIVETo explore the development of the study on Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

METHODSA total of 930 papers were searched from the PubMed and Chinese Bio-medical Disc(CBM) database under the search terms of Angiostrongylus cantonensis and analyzed through publication time, journal and contents.

RESULTSThe number of papers published was found to increase annually, and two peaks of publication in national magazines occurred since 1996. Most papers were published in tropical medicine or professional journal of parasitology. The reports mostly documented cases and epidemiological investigations, and only a few investigated pathogenic mechanisms, drug treatment and other basic theory.

CONCLUSIONIt is in the initial stage of the study on Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongyliasis, and there are a vast space in diagnosis, pathogenic mechanism, therapy and prevalence of Angiostrongyliasis cantonensis.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Animals ; Bibliometrics ; China ; epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Humans ; Strongylida Infections ; epidemiology

Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; isolation & purification ; Animals ; China ; Snails ; parasitology ; Strongylida Infections ; epidemiology

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode that needs to develop in different hosts in different larval stages. Freshwater snails, such as Pomacea canaliculata, are the intermediate host, and rats are the definitive host. Periodic shedding of the cuticle (moulting) is an important biological process for the survival and development of the parasite in the intermediate and definitive hosts. However, there are few studies on the cuticle alterations between different stages of this parasite. In this study, we observed the ultrastructural appearance and changes of the cuticle of the 2nd/3rd stage larvae (L2/L3) and the 3rd/4th stage larvae (L3/L4) using a scanning electron microscope. We also first divided L2/L3 into late L2 and early L3. The late L2 lacked alae, but possessed a pull-chain-like fissure. Irregular alignment of spherical particles on the cuticle were noted compared to the L3. Alae appeared in the early L3. The old cuticle turned into a thin film-like structure which adhered to the new cuticle, and spherical particles were seen regularly arranged on the surface of this structure. Regular rectangular cavities were found on the surface of L3/L4. The caudal structure of L3/L4 was much larger than that of L3, but caudal inflation, such as seen in L4, was not observed. These results are the first to reveal the ultrastructural changes of the cuticle of A. cantonensis before and after moulting of L2/L3 and L3/L4.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis/*physiology/*ultrastructure ; Animals ; Larva/physiology/ultrastructure ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; *Molting

Angiostrongylus cantonensis invades the central nervous system (CNS) of humans to induce eosinophilic meningitis and meningoencephalitis and leads to persistent headache, cognitive dysfunction, and ataxic gait. Infected mice (nonpermissive host), admittedly, suffer more serious pathological injuries than rats (permissive host). However, the pathological basis of these manifestations is incompletely elucidated. In this study, the behavioral test, histological and immunohistochemical techniques, and analysis of apoptotic gene expression, especially caspase-3, were conducted. The movement and motor coordination were investigated at week 2 post infection (PI) and week 3 PI in mice and rats, respectively. The cognitive impairs could be found in mice at week 2 PI but not in rats. The plaque-like lesion, perivascular cuffing of inflammatory cells, and dilated vessels within the cerebral cortex and hippocampus were more serious in mice than in rats at week 3 PI. Transcriptomic analysis showed activated extrinsic apoptotic pathway through increased expression of TNFR1 and caspase-8 in mice CNS. Immunohistochemical and double-labeling for NeuN and caspase-3 indicated the dramatically increased expression of caspase-3 in neuron of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in mice but not in rats. Furthermore, western-blotting results showed high expression of cleaved caspase-3 proteins in mice but relatively low expression in rats. Thus, extrinsic apoptotic pathway participated in neuronal apoptosis might be the pathological basis of distinct behavioral dysfunctions in rodents with A. cantonensis infection. It provides the evidences of a primary molecular mechanism for the behavioral dysfunction and paves the ways to clinical diagnosis and therapy for A. cantonensis infection.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis* ; Angiostrongylus* ; Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Behavior Rating Scale ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 8 ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebral Cortex ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Gait ; Gene Expression ; Headache ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Meningitis ; Meningoencephalitis ; Mice ; Neurons* ; Rats ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I ; Rodentia*

OBJECTIVETo improve the clinician's awareness of angiostrongyliasis.

METHODSThe clinical and laboratory data as well as the epidemiological information concerning 18 patients with eosinophilic meningoencephalitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis were analyzed.

RESULTSAll patients had a history of eating raw fresh water snail (Ampularium canaliculatus) before the onset of the disease. Incubation period ranged from 1 to 25 days. The major symptoms of the patients had severe headache and pain in the trunk and limbs. Increased eosinophlic count in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid was noted. Tested by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA), sera were specifically IgG-antibody positive against Angiostrougylus cantonensis antigen, but were negative against other parasitic antigens such as Paragonimus westermani, Cysticerus, Cellulosae hominis, Echinococcus granulosus and Trichinella spiralis. Abnormal spotty signals were found in 2 cases with brain magnetic resonance imaging. Electroencephalogram (EEG) showed slow alpha rhythm. All the patients were effectively treated with combined administration of albendazole and dexamethazone.

CONCLUSIONSAngiostrongyliasis is one of the common causes leading to eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. To our knowledge, Wenzhou is the first small outbreak site of angiostrongyliasis discovered in Chinese mainland.

Adult ; Albendazole ; administration & dosage ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Animals ; Dexamethasone ; administration & dosage ; Eosinophilia ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meningoencephalitis ; etiology ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Strongylida Infections ; complications ; drug therapy

BACKGROUNDAngiostrongyliasis cantonensis is a worldwide-existing parasitic disease. However, the relevant reports on its radiological appearances are limited. In this study, we investigated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in a group of consecutive patients caused by human infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis after eating freshwater snails.

METHODSWe performed brain MR imaging on 74 patients with angiostrongyliasis cantonensis. The scanner was a 0.5T unit. For each patient MR pulse sequences of SE T1-weighted image (T1WI) and FSE T2-weighted image (T2WI) were used. After intravenous administration of gadolinium chelate (Gd-DTPA) repeated T1-weighted images were obtained. MRI features of the lesions in the brain and meninges were analyzed and recorded after observing initial and follow-up MR images. The classification of the types of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis infection was done on the basis of locations of the disorders.

RESULTSForty-one (55%) normal and 33 (45%) abnormal MRI appearances in the brain were found. According to locations of the disorders, the types of angiostrongyliasis cantonensis infection were determined as follows: seventeen cases of type meningitis, three of type myeloencephalitis, one of type neuritis and twelve of mixed type (eight of type ventriculitis and five of type pneumonitis were among them). In type meningitis, abnormal leptomeningeal enhancement was visualized. In type myeloencephalitis, lesions in the brain parenchyma may have iso- or slightly low signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. Enhanced nodules in various shapes were shown on gadolinium-enhanced T1WI, a few lesions appeared as crescent enhancements and some lesions did not reveal abnormal enhancement. Other than brain lesions, an enhanced nodule was seen in the cervical spinal cord in one patient. In type ventriculitis, brain ventricular enlargement was demonstrated. In type neuritis, a nodule and abnormal enhancement in the right optic nerve was revealed. In type pneumonitis, patchy ground-glass opacity and consolidative lesions at the periphery of the lungs were seen. Follow-up results indicated that most lesions in the brain could resolve in 2 to 8 weeks.

CONCLUSIONSAngiostrongyliasis cantonensis presented as both single type and mixed type. Nodular enhancing lesions in the brain and/or linear enhancement in the leptomeninges were the main findings, while crescent enhancement would be the characteristic sign of the disease on gadolinium-enhanced T1WI. Focal edematous changes without contrast enhancement in the brain could be seen on MRI in some cases.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; Animals ; Eosinophilia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Meningoencephalitis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Middle Aged ; Snails ; parasitology ; Strongylida Infections ; complications