Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Achatinidae) carrier of Helminthes, Protozoa and Bacteria in northeast Venezuela / Achatina fulica Bowdich, 1822 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Achatinidae) hospedador de helmintos, protozoarios y bacterias en el noreste de Venezuela

RESUMEN

Por cuanto el molusco Achatina fulica nativo del África es vector de helmintos, pero su relación con protozoarios y bacterias es poco conocida, decidimos estudiar las excretas de 1.200 ejemplares capturados en los estados Anzoátegui, Monagas, Sucre y Nueva Esparta, del noreste de Venezuela. Su moco pedal y heces mostraron infección por los protozoarios Chilomastix spp., Trichomonas spp., Giardia spp., Balantidium spp., Entamoeba spp., Iodamoeba spp., Blastocystis spp. Y por los helmintos de los grupos Ascarioidea, Trichuroidea, Ancylostomatidae y Cestoda. El moco céfalopodal mostró únicamente larvas de Rhabditida. Las bacterias Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. azaenae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Campylobacter spp. infectaron a las tres excretas. Los mecanismos de transmisión y la composición de las excretas, como nichos fisiológicamente apropiados para los organismos encontrados, son discutidos en relación con el riesgo epidemiológico que el molusco representa en salud pública y veterinaria.

ABSTRACT

The mollusk Achatina fulica, native to Eastern Equatorial Africa, has been incriminated as a carrier or vector of helminthes. Nevertheless, information in the literature as regards its status as a carrier for bacteria is scarce, and we could find no reference at all for its relation to protozoa. We studied microscopically the excreta from 1200 snails captured in Anzoátegui, Monagas, Sucre and Nueva Esparta states, in northeast Venezuela. The pedal mucus and feces were infected by the protozoa Chilomastix spp., Trichomonas spp., Giardia spp., Balantidium spp., Entamoeba spp., Iodamoeba spp., Blastocystis spp., as well as helminthes of Ascarioidea, Trichuroidea, Ancylostomatidae and Cestoda groups. The only helminthes found in the cephalopodal mucus were Rhabditida larvae. The three excreta were also infected by the bacteria Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. azaenae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Campylobacter spp. Risk of infection and transmission mechanisms as well as the composition of the excreta as appropriate physiological niches for the organisms mentioned, are discussed with regard to the epidemiological importance of this snail for in human and veterinary health.