This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/angiostrongylus-cantonensis/, published by CAPC and retrieved on 2026-09-16. The quotations are excerpts; the document itself is linked and is the authority. Nothing has been reworded.
This page quotes the Companion Animal Parasite Council guideline for Angiostrongylus cantonensis, section by section: the opening sentences of 7 sections, copied without change and linked to the guideline, which was retrieved on 2026-09-16. The guideline itself is the authority and carries the full text.
The guideline
Companion Animal Parasite Council, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/angiostrongylus-cantonensis/. Retrieved 2026-09-16. Each heading below is the guideline’s own, and the quotation under it is how that section begins. The full section, and the species tabs where the guideline gives them, are on the linked page.
Synopsis
CAPC Recommends Dogs, as well as birds, horses and other mammals, serve as incidental hosts for Angiostrongylus cantonensis . There is no effective treatment.
Disease
Clinical signs in dogs include: hind limb weakness, hypereasthesia, urinary incontinence, ataxia, tail paresis, ascending paralysis, muscle atrophy, severe pain, coma and death. In other incidental hosts, including humans and non-human primates, infections result in eosinophilic meningitis leading to headaches, stiff neck, fever, vomiting and paralysis of the face and limbs.
Prevalence
Infections in dogs have been reported in Australia and are common in Hawaii. Human infections have been reported in over 30 countries, mainly in parts of Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Caribbean.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is difficult in incidental hosts and is primarily based on clinical signs and history (travel to or living in endemic areas, ingestion or interaction with intermediate or paratenic hosts). Neurologic signs typically occur ~11 days post infection.
Treatment
Supportive care is often the only or best option. Pain management is essential.
Control and Prevention
Preventing potential incidental hosts (dogs, birds, horses, etc.) from ingestion of mollusks and/or paratenic hosts. Prevent incidental hosts from drinking water where dead snails have been found.
Public Health Considerations
Humans are incidental hosts, becoming infected through ingestion of infective larvae in mollusks or paratenic hosts. Infections result in eosinophilic meningitis and infections can be severe.
Continue reading public health considerations on capcvet.org
Sources
- capc-angiostrongylus-cantonensisCAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
“CAPC Recommends Dogs, as well as birds, horses and other mammals, serve as incidental hosts for Angiostrongylus cantonensis . There is no effective treatment.” (Synopsis)
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