4. Conclusion
- Although low in occurrence, eosinophilic meningitis from neural
angiostrongyliasis can cause severe outbreaks in the near future with
continued negligence. Thus, regular monitoring and awareness are
necessary for prevention.
- The use of molecular methods to detect Angiostrongylus
cantonensis has many benefits over conventional methods; however
further development (e.g., PCR primer, modelling of parasite
distribution, and rapid detection methods) is needed.
- Implementation of novel detection and quantification approaches using
environmental DNA (eDNA) has an immense potential in surveyingAngiostrongylus cantonensis in the environment, that will help
to avoid direct contact with hosts during laboratory testing.Extraction of eDNA can be done from environmental samples such as
water, soil and host feces (may include high concentration of larval
DNA) for periodic monitoring. Indeed, there have been studies that
have attempted to use eDNA metabarcoding methods to test abundance of
parasites in an ecosystem; however, some drawbacks remain, such as
lack of reference sequences in the databases.
- Furthermore, the improvement of treatment methods is necessary for the
patients who are more severely infected with neuroangiostrongyliasis.
Further progress in the investigation into mitigation of harmful side
effects of albendazole when administered in later infection stages is
required. Progress is similarly required in the treatment of permanent
sequelae.
- Lastly, awareness among the public about consumption of meat only
after careful processing, and avoidance of raw meat is necessary.
Tourists should avoid adventurous eating in the endemic zones.
Nevertheless, inadvertent consumption should not be neglected. Proper
hygiene should be maintained, avoiding the persistence of rats and
other pests in food preparation areas.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Pritam Banerjee- Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal
analysis, Investigation, Visualization, Roles/Writing - original draft,
Writing - review & editing; Nalonda Chatterjee- Data curation,
Formal analysis, Investigation, Visualization, Roles/Writing - original
draft, Writing - review & editing; Jung-Sheng Chen- Software,
Project administration, Resources; Gobinda Dey- Formal
analysis, Resources, Writing - review & editing; Raju Kumar
Sharma- Visualization, Resources, Writing - review & editing;Jyoti Prakash Maity- Resources, Writing - review & editing;Chin-Wen Wang- Data curation, Investigation, Resources;Chayada Jaidee- Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation;Thanyalak Kammeerak- Data curation, Formal analysis,
Investigation; Marut Tangwattanachuleeporn- Project
administration, Resources; Kulwara Poolpol- Project
administration, Resources; Michael W.Y. Chan- Project
administration, Resources; Kuan Hsien Lee- Conceptualization,
Funding acquisition, Project administration, Resources;Chien-Yen Chen- Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Project
administration, Supervision, Resources, Writing - review & editing.