The effect of temperature on mobility of Angiostrongylus costaricensis third stage larvae

• Main Authors: Lúcia M.Z. RICHINITTI, Nivaldo A. FONSECA, Carlos GRAEFF-TEIXEIRA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 1999
• Subjects: Angiostrongylus costaricensis; Food-born disease; Mollusca; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/9996fc0688b8495f97bf3388115c906c

Third stage larvae (L3) from Angiostrongylus costaricensis were incubated in water at room temperature and at 5 ° C and their mobility was assessed daily for 17 days. Viability was associated with the mobility and position of the L3, and it was confirmed by inoculation per os in albino mice. The number of actively moving L3 sharply decreased within 3 to 4 days, but there were some infective L3 at end of observation. A mathematical model estimated 80 days as the time required to reduce the probability of infective larvae to zero. This data does not support the proposition of refrigerating vegetables and raw food as an isolated procedure for prophylaxis of human abdominal angiostrongylosis infection.