ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by Angiostrongylus in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Angiostrongylus Kamensky 1905 is a genus of parasitic nematodes of the superfamily Metastrongyloidea. Among the 21 valid species of Angiostrongylus reported worldwide, 15 are parasites of rodents, and the remaining species infect carnivores. All the metastrongyloid nematodes use gastropods as intermediate hosts to complete their life cycle. Some Angiostrongylus species may also use paratenic hosts. The genus Angiostrongylus is a member of the family Angiostrongylidae. Both the adult male and female worms of Angiostrongylus nematodes are slender and cylindrical in shape, tapering slightly at both ends. Human infection with A. cantonensis was first reported in Brazil in 2007 with three documented cases from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, followed by an additional case in Pernambuco in the northeast region in 2009.
