![]() In humans, young worms make their way to the brain as they would in a rat. Officials have blamed the recent boom in human cases, in part, on an explosion of an invasive “semi-slug,” which is particularly good at picking up the parasite. Humans are an accidental host, typically infected when they inadvertently eat an infected slug or snail that has slid into their salad fixings or other produce. When other rodents come along and eat those infected mollusks, the prepubescent parasites migrate to the rats’ brains to mature before settling into the lungs and reproducing. The hosting rat eventually poops out the young parasites, which then get gobbled up by feces-feasting snails and slugs (intermediate hosts). ![]() Larvae get coughed up into rats’ throats then swallowed. Young worms leave the nest early to find their own windy homes, though. As its common name suggests, the wandering worm primarily takes up residence in rats’ lungs, where female worms lay their eggs. The parasitic worm in these cases is the rat lungworm, aka Angiostrongylus cantonensis. While there were 18 confirmed cases in 2017, health officials are worried of a sustained boom in the parasite’s population, which has quietly lurked in the state for decades. The latest known victims-who became infected at different times-bring the state’s 2018 case total to 10 and the 2019 total to five. ![]() Further Reading Concern growing for brain-invading worms, spread by slugs and ratsThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed three new cases in unrelated adults visiting Hawaii Island from the US mainland, the health department announced.
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