Angiostrongylus cantonensis Rat Lungworm Detected in Rats, Madagascar, 2022-2023

Emerg Infect Dis. 2026 Jul;32(7):1188-1192. doi: 10.3201/eid3207.260142.

ABSTRACT

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is a zoonotic parasite that causes eosinophilic meningitis in humans; the parasite is maintained in rat definitive hosts and transmitted through gastropod intermediate hosts. We report A. cantonensis prevalence and mitochondrial genome from oral swab specimens from rats in Madagascar, supporting swabs for noninvasive detection of this parasite.

PMID:42366170 | DOI:10.3201/eid3207.260142