“Simply washing any garden vegetables before consumption would prevent any parasite transmission to humans,” Morgan-Olvera said.Īccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Angiostrongylus usually causes mild symptoms in humans but can lead to a rare type of meningitis (eosinophilic meningitis) with symptoms including headache, stiff neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting. People can also get the parasite from unwashed vegetables. This is why we tell every citizen who contacts us (or looks at the species page on our website) not to bare handle any flatworms and to always wash your hands with soap and water afterward,” Morgan-Olvera said. Thankfully, transmission of the parasite is easily prevented. “For humans in developed countries, it can happen after we handle the flatworm/slug and then touch our mouths.

The parasite is transmitted to mammals when they ingest an infected flatworm or slug. “The correct host for these nematodes are rats, but they’ll try to get into any mammal- they’re just not able to complete their lifecycle inside other non-rat hosts,” said Ashley Morgan-Olvera, director of research and education/outreach for the Texas Invasive Species Institute. Angiostrongylus is commonly referred to as rat lungworm. While they’re not parasites themselves, they have the ability to transmit harmful nematodes ( Angiostrongylus cantonensis) to mammals including humans. The flatworms are predators of native snails and other invertebrates. Here in Texas, they’ve been spotted throughout San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Austin, College Station and the greater Houston area. Since then they’ve been seen throughout the Southeastern United States.

The New Guinea flatworm may be tiny, but it can carry a dangerous parasite.Īccording to the Texas Invasive Species Institute, the tiny black worms made their way into the United States and were first spotted in Florida in 2015.

“This is the New Guinea flatworm (Platydemus manokwari) which is a fairly recent invader in Texas,” I was told. So I reached out to The Texas Invasive Species Institute and sent some pictures for confirmation. I remembered reading about an invasive type of worm, and when my preschooler pointed out the unusual black worms on our back porch after a rain storm, I knew they weren’t typical earthworms. In fact, this writer spotted some last weekend. SAN ANTONIO – An invasive flatworm has made its way into Texas and has been found throughout the San Antonio area, experts say.

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