Inactivation of infective larvae of Angiostrongylus costaricensis with short time incubations in 1.5% bleach solution, vinegar or saturated cooking salt solution

Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a nematode parasite of wild rodents in the Americas. Man may become infected accidentally and, sometimes, suffers a v ery severe abdominal disease. Ingestion of raw vegetables has been proven t o be a risk factor for the acquisition of A. costaricensis and, therefore, prophylaxis should include food disinfection. The larvicidal effect of wine vinegar, saturated cooking salt (SS) and a 1.5% bleach solution (BW) were compared with a 1-h-incubation period, at room temperature. Larval viabilit y was tested through inoculation in Swiss mice. Only one out of 560 larvae treated with BW (97.3% of the animals were uninfected) was recovered as an adult worm, while 90/336 and 29/512 larvae treated, respectively, with SS a nd WV were recovered as adult worms. This larvicidal effect of BW was seen also in incubation limes as short as 15 min. In conclusion, the 1.5% bleach solution may be helpful for prophylaxis of human abdominal angiostrongylia sis through disinfection of raw vegetables and unpeeled fruits. (C) 2001 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.