Popular knowledge: impacts and methods for controlling Achatina fulica in Valen a – RJ, Brazil

This study aimed to check the incidence of the African snail Achatina fulica in the Cambota neighborhood, Valen a, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and investigate control strategies adopted by the population. Epidemiological questionnaires applied to 105 inhabitants evaluated the existence of their contact to the animal, the risk of infection by parasites, due to hygiene behaviors, and the control methods adopted. The presence of mollusks was reported in 52.5% of visited households. Out of these, 51.4% had rodents. Collected mollusks were analyzed with regard to the presence of nematodes. In the households with a positive result for the presence of A. fulica, direct contact to the mollusks was reported (21.9%) by handling (often inappropriate) or intake. All respondents said to use some technique for food hygiene and 67.6% said to know angiostrongyliasis. All respondents said to practice extermination of mollusks, 28.5% of them by breaking the shell. Despite the high incidence of A. fulica, larvae of Angiostrongylus sp. or other nematodes of medico-veterinary importance weren’t found in the analyzed specimens.