Reproductive biology of the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Metastrongyloidea: Angiostrongylidae)

Guest Editor's message: Eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm: biology, distribution, epidemiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and management.

Molecular phylogeography of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) and genetic relationships with congeners using cytochrome b gene marker.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is an important emerging zoonotic parasite causing human eosinophilic meningitis (or meningoencephalitis) in many parts of the world. To-date there is only a single study using mitochondrial cytochrome b (CYTB) gene to determine its genetic structure in eight geographical localities in Thailand. The present study examined the molecular phylogeography of this rat lung...

Geographic Range Expansion for Rat Lungworm in North America

Using quantitative PCR analysis and DNA sequencing, we provide evidence for the presence of rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) in Oklahoma, USA, and identified a potentially novel rat host (Sigmodon hispidus). Our results indicate a geographic range expansion for this medically and ecologically relevant parasite in North America.

Correction: Diverse Gastropod Hosts of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the Rat Lungworm, Globally and with a Focus on the Hawaiian Islands

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094969.].

Angiostrongylus cantonensis Eosinophilic Meningitis in an Infant, Tennessee, USA

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common infectious cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis worldwide. This parasite is endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and its global distribution is increasing. We report A. cantonensis meningoencephalitis in a 12-month-old boy in Tennessee, USA, who had not traveled outside of southwestern Tennessee or northwestern...