Land-snails as a subject of heliculture, their veterinary significance and parasitological aspects : (Rearing Helix aspersa snails in farms, considering particularly their metazoan parasites)

Abstract

Land-snails is one of the most diverse group of animals in terms of bioethology constituting population control and biology research, as well as the mechanism of transmitting a parasite or other non parasitic pathogens a challenge. Knowledge of the prementioned will greatly enforce heliculture which is a rather young industry but nevertheless in economic terms it results to a product with much affinity to South European markets. Notably the most often cultivated species are Helix pomatia, Helix lucorum, Acatina fulica juveniles. Most promising being Helix aspersa as it is able to mature in 4 months instead of 18 needed in nature and can survive -10C° becoming active at 20C° . Typical obstacles of heliculture are related to environmental parameters such as humidity, temperature, light intensity and soil conditions; nutrition as well as breeding and rearing technologies faultering i.e overcrowding may be a factor that can affect heliculture contributing to unhygienic conditions and subsequently promote invasion of pathogens; Typically, bacteria such as Pseudomonas, different fungi such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, Verticillium; Parasitic that may use snails as intermediate or definitive host such as Brachylaima migrans, B.aspersa, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, Alloionema appendiculatum, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita Angiostoma aspersa, Filaroides rostratus, Angiostrongylus vasorum, Protostrongylus rufescens, Muellerius capillaris, Neostrongylus linearis, A.cantonensis which last has zoonotic importance and incidentally Crenosoma species and Capillaria spp opportunistically occuring due to the presense of snail predators in the vicinity of the heliculture . Furthermore the highly prolific nature of land-snails coupled with their incredible affinity to pathogens is a subject that draws the attention of parasitologists and epidemiologists world around having them eventually colliding to the opinion that snails may move slow due to their anatomical structure but when it comes to transmission of pathogens can be the fastest and deadliest vehicle ,after all ‘’parasites are highly developed organisms and the most widespread life form of existence’’ Krasnov et. al 2004. Concluding, heliculture as a fascinating subject may be it is foremost a subject of Veterinary Importance in terms of public health reprecautions as well as it is quite challenging in terms of capital investment and knowhow