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Giant African land snail. Hannah Shelton via Flickr

Rat-sized snails are taking over South Florida

The state authorities have warned that the giant snails are the most damaging in the world and can pose a serious risk to human health.

SNAILS AS BIG as rats are menacing residents of the sunshine state as the large creatures chomp their way through everything in South Florida from plaster to concrete, devouring a wide variety of plants and getting underfoot.

The oversized nuisance is a giant African land snail or GALS for short. Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told Reuters’ Barbara Liston that the snail was first spotted in Southern Florida in September 2011, and that close to 120,000 of the slimy creatures have been caught in Miami-Dade County since then.

More snails are expected to crawl out from under the earth as Florida’s rainy season kicks off over the next two months, Feiber told Reuters.

“Scientists consider the giant African land snail to be one of the most damaging snails in the world because it is known to consume at least 500 different types of plants, and can pose a serious health risk to humans,” the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services warns on its website.

parasite known as rat lungworm can be found in the snail’s mucus, which could lead to meningitis in humans if it makes its way into your digestive tract — usually from putting your hands in your mouth after coming in contact with the snails. People are strongly advised not to pick up or handle the snails, which can grow up to 8 inches in length and 4 inches wide.

It’s illegal to import African land snails into the United States without a permit, but the snails can make their way into the country through luggage or agricultural products.

There was also one instance, in 1966, when “a boy smuggled three giant African land snails into Miami as pets,” according to Florida’s department of agriculture.

The snails were released outside. Seven years later those three snails became 18,000 and Florida had to launch a $1 million eradication program.

If Florida residents come across a giant African snail, they are being urged to contact authorities by emailing a photo for identification.

- Dina Spector

Read: Demand for exotic pets pushes species to brink>

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    Mute Ollie
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 8:54 AM

    Poor boy. I hope he gets the treatment he needs and there is more research into this condition

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    Mute Marc Walsh
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 7:04 AM

    Is it treatable?

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 7:34 AM

    CBT usually and occasionally meds.

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    Mute Mary Kelly
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    Nov 29th 2014, 12:25 AM

    It’s a strep infection so antibiotics.

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    Mute Arthur Pewty
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 9:20 AM

    Hope he get treatment :(

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    Mute Rory Naughton
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 1:34 PM

    Hi Cliodhna.
    Perhaps a more in depth view of PANDAS syndrome would be helpful?
    For example:
    What, if any, controversies are there?
    How does it differ from TS/ OC?
    etc
    Also, am I the only one shocked by the 1/200 kids!! Bizarre that a syndrome which was unrecognised until 16 years ago now affects 0.5% of the population.

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 2:53 PM

    One famous person who suffered from a similar and possibly related condition was Andy Warhol, who contracted Scarlet Fever as a child and developed Sydenham’s Chorea. Also known as Saint Vitus dance, it involves OCD and similar repetitive Tourette’s like movements.

    Sydenham’s chorea was first recognised in the 1850s. It is not that rare, about 1/3 of children who contract Scarlet fever develop at least mild symptoms of Sydenham’s chorea. It tends to last a few months to a year.

    PANDAS wasn’t recognised until recently because it looks similar to other conditions e.g. Asperger’s syndrome and Tourette’s. It’s not caused by the same bacteria as Scarlet fever and many doctors were skeptical that an infection could cause long lasting psychological problems in children, and some claimed the infection was an unrelated coincidence.

    But there’s more acceptance now, the few who remain skeptical should be reminded that they accept the existence of Sydenham’s chorea so why not PANDAS.

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    Mute Rory Naughton
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    Oct 22nd 2014, 4:33 PM

    Thanks for the interesting reply John. You made original article far more informative now.
    However a brief read about PANDAS suggests that there remains a lack of scientific consensus. Many in the field believe that, amongst other things, it is being seriously over diagnosed.
    These publications emphasize this:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24106651
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25309889

    Also I thought they were both caused by group A Streptococci?

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