The frequently asked question about snails and common illnesses. There are a lot of benefits in consuming snail, but it also has its shortcomings
However, it is an essential topic to ensure the safety and wellbeing of snails and the factors surrounding edible snails.
No doubt, we humans love our escargots (another word for snails). Here are the most beautiful snails in the world
Let us see if there are illnesses peculiar to the snail, and is it infectious when consumed?
Introduction To Snail And Its Sicknesses
For thousands of years, people have eaten land snails. This low-fat food has a lot of water and proteins, and it’s used in a lot of different recipes.
While it’s not particularly popular in some parts of the world, Europeans, especially the French, have meals that are regarded as delicacies.
Since the dawn of time, humans worldwide have eaten various animals to ensure their existence, including snails.
Snails were a common food item in ancient cultures all over the world, including in Rome. They even raised snails in captivity to ensure there was a steady supply to meet demand.
The food industry relies heavily on snails. Many parts of France, the United Kingdom, and other countries serve dishes made with land snails.
These dishes can be expensive and only be found in specific regions. Having them on hand is becoming the norm for expensive events and sophisticated gatherings.
However, as tasty and attractive as this incredible source of protein may be, scientists have been able to research snails and common illnesses associated with them.
Find out all the nutritional benefits of snails in our diets
Therefore, it is good to learn all that you can about snails and the common illnesses they cause. If you want to find out more about snails and the common illnesses they could cause, please read on!
Can You Get Sick From Eating Snail
Snail is a very delicious meal. It is also very nutritious; however, it isn’t advisable to consume it with reckless abandon.
You can get sick from eating snails. That’s right, eating snails can cause illnesses. Let’s see how?
Some of the most common infections linked with snails are rat lungworm and schistosomiasis.
Unwashed lettuce or other fresh green vegetables that have been contaminated by the slime of diseased snails or slugs can infect people who knowingly or unknowingly eat it.
The rat lungworm does not spread from person to person, though. Its typical life cycle requires snails as intermediate hosts for the rat lungworm parasite to thrive during the larval stage.
The continuous transmission of the parasite among rats and people depends on common garden snails.
Slugs and snails consume the parasite larvae from infected rat feces. As their slug and snail hosts continue to develop, the rat lungworm larvae continue to grow.
Eating diseased slug and snail meat can make rats sick or even re-infect them. After maturing in the rats’ lungs, the parasites return to start the cycle all over again.
Rat lungworms are spread to people by snails and slugs that have been infected with the parasite. Slug and snail interaction has been discovered to be the cause of every case of rat lungworm illness thus far.
On the other hand, schistosomiasis parasite illness is only second to malaria in terms of severity. As one of the many neglected tropical illnesses, it is a significant public health problem.
Schistosomiasis is an infection caused by parasites found in some species of freshwater snail. Cercariae, an infectious type of parasite, are released into the water by the snail. When your skin comes into touch with polluted waters, you might get sick.
Do Garden Snails Carry Disease
A terrestrial gastropod mollusk, the garden snail (Helix aspersa) is one of the world’s best-known species. It is one of the most common terrestrial mollusks due to its extreme ubiquity.
Because they are so easy to find, it doesn’t mean that they are exempt from being infected or infectious. Garden snails, too, can carry diseases.
Despite its European origins, this species has spread worldwide and is now considered a pest in gardens and agricultural fields.
They are numerous and widespread in the UK and are frequently regarded as garden pests.
Being nocturnal, they only come out at night to feed and rest under rocks, but they may also be seen in the open during the day.
When conditions are dire, the snail retreats within its shell, which it may shut and stay in for several months. During the winter, most garden snails go into hibernation.
Their diet consists of majorly leaves, algae, lichens, fungi and rotting plant debris. These plant-based foods can be infected, and when they ingest them, the snail also becomes infected and can be harmful to humans.
How Do You Know If a Snail Has a Parasite
Determining if a snail is infected with a parasite may not be achievable through conventional means. One might require the use of a microscope and other sophisticated scientific apparatus.
However, one of the parasites which snails carry- Schistosomiasis- may be easy to discover with the proper techniques.
More than 200 million individuals have been infected with schistosomiasis worldwide, primarily in Africa and Asia. With an annual death toll of 280,000, the World Health Organization labels it a neglected tropical illness.
Anemia, malnutrition, and learning impairments are all common complications for children who suffer from this condition.
Snail schistosomiasis may be detected using various techniques. You may examine the snail’s insides for intramolluscan larvae by dissecting them (particularly the cercariae; the larval stage of the parasite, those are easier).
Alternatively, you may keep the snails in Petri dishes until they lose their cercaria, but this requires daily inspection, so you’ll need to provide food for them somehow.
Alternately, you may use molecular tests with primers explicitly designed for the Schistosoma species you’re looking for to find out.
What Are The Symptoms of Schistosoma
Skin becomes infected when it comes into touch with polluted waters, where parasite-carrying snails are found.
Schistosome eggs enter the water when infected people urinate or pee in it. This action pollutes the water and spreads the disease.
When the eggs hatch, the parasites infect, grow, and reproduce within the snails if the water contains the proper snail species.
In water, the parasite may live for up to 48 hours after leaving the snail. People who wade, swim, bathe, or wash in polluted freshwater may be exposed to larval schistosomes (cercariae), entering the body through the skin.
The parasites live inside the blood vessels of the host for several weeks before emerging as adult worms.
When the worms reach maturity, they mate and lay eggs in the bladder and gut; some eggs are excreted as urine or stool.
Schistosomiasis symptoms are a result of the body’s response to worm eggs, not the worms themselves. Worm eggs that do not leave the body might cause inflammation or scarring in the gut or bladder if not removed.
Chronically infected children are more likely to experience anemia, malnutrition, and behavioral problems at school. Once infected for a long time, a parasite can cause serious harm to many different organ systems.
What Are The Symptoms Of Lungworm
Most people may show no signs at all. Others may only have minor symptoms that last a short time.
“Eosinophilic meningoencephalitis” is an uncommon infection of the brain caused by rat lungworms.
Headaches, stiff necks, tingling or discomfort in the skin, fever, nausea, and vomiting are all possible symptoms for those who suffer from this illness.
Typically, it takes 1-3 weeks after ingesting the slug or snail to become ill; hence, anyone who detects the symptoms early should visit a doctor promptly.
Is It Safe To Consume Infected Snails
Snails eat both plants and animals. Edible snails (escargots) are cultivated in farms with rigorous control of living habitat and feeds.
Whereas for wild-caught snails, we have no way of knowing what they’ve eaten before being collected. They might be tainted with poisonous chemicals or afflicted with parasites.
When consumed, the parasite can infect the central nervous system, producing meningitis, which can be deadly.
Escargots are best enjoyed as part of a meal. They should only be purchased from reputable suppliers of farm-raised snails.
Is Snail Trail Poisonous
Most of the dislike or “hate” towards snails stems from the fact that they are slimy creatures.
Many people are disgusted by it. In contrast, some others worry that it may be a poisonous defense mechanism.
While it may be disgusting to see or touch, snail slime (mucus) isn’t poisonous. Still, it can be a medium for the transfer of infection.
The trail can be seen on plants and surfaces. If transferred from hand to mouth after touching snails, it might make you sick.
Interestingly, no incidences of illness have been documented from ingesting snail-contaminated drinking water or from exposed wounds.
One theory is that a person’s risk of contracting the disease is based on the number of infective larvae consumed together with their immune system’s reaction to those larvae.
Snail management, cooking of intermediate and paratenic hosts, and teaching on food preparation should all be part of any plan to prevent human infection.
Is it Safe To Touch Garden Snails
Learning about snails and common illnesses associated with them can make it quite scary even to approach a snail.
It’s okay to handle a snail as long as you follow good hygiene standards and wash your hands immediately afterward.
A dog may bite as a form of aggression or self-defense, but snails don’t. Your snail will most likely move about on your hand to see what is going on.
In addition, I recommend that children be closely monitored at all times, as accidentally ingesting uncooked snails can make you sick.
Is Snail Slime Poisonous to Dogs
According to recent findings, lungworm larvae can be transmitted through snail slime. It implies that even if your dog eats only a tiny amount of slime, it might become infected with lungworm.
Lungworms may infect dogs if they eat snails or lick slime paths left by slugs and snails or if they lick or eat the snails or slugs that have left a slime trail. This condition, if left untreated, can be deadly to a dog’s lungs and respiratory system.
Several diagnostic techniques, including DNA testing on blood and stool samples, chest radiographs, and even bronchoscopy, are required to diagnose lungworm accurately.
Even if you don’t discover any worms, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that your dog is sick.
Gardeners detest snails because they consume vegetation, but dogs are at risk from them because they act as a host for one of the most deadly parasites in the body.
Canine pulmonary schistosomiasis is also becoming a significant public health issue due to lungworm. The outbreak hit parts of Ireland, Wales, and southern England the hardest.
Lungworm infection symptoms range from a mild dry cough with slightly increased respiratory rates to a severe persistent cough with respiratory distress or even failure.
Even if you don’t have any evident symptoms, your dog might be infected. Dogs afflicted with these lungworms often have a low mortality rate.
When Your Dog Eats A Snail: What to Do
The first line of action when you suspect or realize that your dog has eaten a snail or slug is to cleanse its mouth thoroughly. You may do so by brushing your dog’s teeth.
After this, seek emergency veterinarian assistance. Your vet may want to run testing and start your dog on a dewormer. Your veterinarian can use blood testing to see if your dog has eaten an infected snail recently.
Not all snails and slugs have the lungworm parasite. You may dwell in an area where cases of lungworm in dogs have been recorded and believe your dog has eaten a slug or a snail. In this situation, don’t hesitate to call your vet.
Let your vet know if your dog often eats slugs since they may need to put them on a parasite preventive medicine just in case.
If your dog is diagnosed with lungworm, therapy is available and, if found early enough, many dogs can recover fully.
Even better, preventive measures are also available; a monthly medication from your vet can stop your dog from being sick in the first place.
After the vet appointment, monitor your pup for sickness indications and bring them back promptly if they act strangely.
Final Thought
As far as the world’s deadliest species go, big predators like sharks and lions tend to take center stage. But in reality, snails and common illnesses they spread may pose more of a problem if left unchecked.
Snails may transmit common illnesses, but they are still a favorite delicacy for many. You may think of snails solely as tiny mollusks that wreak havoc in your garden or crawl around on the pavement after rainfall and carry unwanted parasites.
But in many places of the world, including France, Germany, and Portugal, snails- like I said- are indeed a delicacy. They can be prepared into a buttery hors d’oeuvre called escargot or fried in an Indian dish called sate karakul.
