Invasive snails deadly to humans are invading the US: North Carolina sounds alarm on golf ball-sized species that carries rat lungworm

An invasive snail is invading the US – and conservationists warn it carries a parasite that can infect the brain and cause meningitis that can lead to death.

North Carolina alerted residents Monday that the invasive snail species — which can be deadly to humans and devastating to river life — has been positively identified along the state’s Lumber River.

The apple snail, native to South America, has been spotted along the Lumber River in the south-central region of the state.

People are urged to freeze or crush the snails, but avoid touching them and their bright pink egg masses, which are filled with toxins that can cause skin and eye rashes.

Although the apple snail has already invaded Europe, Asia and other U.S. states such as Hawaii, this week’s sightings are the first ever recorded in North Carolina.

It joins the poisonous, slime-covered Hammerhead worm on the list of slimy invasive species that have spread to the US East Coast in recent years.

According to the Hawaiian Invasive Species Council, which deals with apple snail invasions in the Pacific Ocean, the invasive species has previously been responsible for “100 percent crop loss” in rice fields in certain heavily infested areas of the Philippines.

In addition to rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), apple snails are known to be carriers of harmful parasites such as bloodworms (Schistosoma spp.) and intestinal worms (Echinostoma ilocanum)

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that a bloodworm infection, or schistosomiasis, ‘can last for years’ if not treated properly.

If the parasite is transmitted from snail to human, it can cause severe abdominal pain, an enlarged liver, blood in the stool or urine, and difficulty urinating.

But in addition to these threats to human health, North Carolina’s Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) also warned that the apple snail posed risks to local agriculture and native habitats.

“Their grazing habits can cause damage to crops such as rice, as well as wild native plants used by many aquatic species,” said the commission’s message to its page on aquatic nuisance species.

Even casual contact can be risky, as wildlife authorities warned that a toxin found in the snail’s bright pink egg mass can cause skin and eye rashes if touched. The state is asking citizens to help track and kill Apple Snails using NC’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Reporting Tool

North Carolina wildlife authorities said the apple snail’s egg masses can be destroyed by “crushed and scraping them into the water” using any nearby implement, such as a stick, rock or boat paddle. State officials urged citizens to ensure the eggs sink

“They have even been observed feeding on amphibian eggs,” conservation authorities said.

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The yellow-legged hornet, native to South Asia, was identified in Georgia, where officials are urging residents to look for invasive species that could “potentially threaten” honey production, native species, farms and human lives.

Wildlife experts in Hawaii have also warned that if left unchecked, the apple snail could decimate local agricultural economies.

‘In the Philippines they became the biggest pest in rice fields’ Hawaii’s Invasive Species Council reported: ‘There is 100 percent crop loss in heavily infected areas.’

Wildlife managers in North Carolina hope that state residents, especially in Lumberton and surrounding Robeson County, where the snails were spotted, will help drive away the invasive species.

Apple snails are usually seen in round, yellowish to dark brown shells.

Although they can grow to the size of an apple, the creatures are typically closer to the size of a golf ball.

Authorities said if residents spot a suspected apple snail or a mass of bright pink eggs, the first step is to photograph and document the location in a submission to the NCWRC. Reporting tool for types of flooding.

“After documenting the location, the egg masses can be destroyed (by) crushing and scraping them into the water,” state wildlife officials said, “with any implement such as a stick or boat paddle.”

The experts at NCWRC also recommend ‘making sure the eggs sink’ and avoiding contact with bare skin to avoid possible skin rashes from the toxins in the eggs.

“Adult snails,” they said, “can be destroyed by crushing or freezing.”