Giant African Snails

Giant African Snails (GAS)

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Picture from the WV Dept. of Agriculture Website.

Giant African Snails (GAS) are becoming a big problem for United States agriculture. They were first introduced into Florida in 1966 by a kid who brought them as pets (Feiber 2004). Florida spent nearly $1 million dollars to eradicate the GAS from Florida - the first and only successful eradication of the species on record (Feiber 2004; USDA 2007). They can cause serious damage to over 500 different types of plants, all of which can be agricultural, urban, or natural flora (USDA 2007). They are voracious eaters, destroying any of the above crops with un"snail"-like speed. The sale or importation of Giant African Snails is prohibited in the United States, due to agricultural and health risks associated with the pet (USDA 2007).

These pest also carry the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which can cause eosinophilic meningitis, a rare but dangerous form of meningitis (CDC 2004). However in most cases, the infection by this parasite does not cause eosinophilic meningitis, nor do most patients need to be treated for the parasite (CDC 2004). The parasite can only be passed from snails to humans; it cannot be passed from human to human contact (CDC 2004). The Giant African Snail is only infected with the parasite if it has eaten infected rat feces (CDC 2004).

States that have released information regarding GAS invasions include Maryland, West Virginia, and Florida (Feiber 2004; Williams 2004; WVDA 2004). Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maine, Georgia, Wisconsin, Indiana, et. al have released public warnings about the gastropod, to encourage fast response from people who may find them in the wild.

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