Deadly giant snail found in Houston

nbcnews.com ^ | 05-08-2013 | By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer,

[Red Badger]

Residents of a Houston neighborhood are being warned to stay away from giant African land snails after a woman found one in her garden and snapped a photo of it.

The snails, researchers warn, are potentially dangerous to touch, in part because they can carry meningitis. Scientists have warned anyone who comes in contact with them to wash their hands thoroughly.

"They also carry a parasitic disease that can cause a lot of harm to humans and sometimes even death," Autumn Smith-Herron, director of the Institute for the Study of Invasive Species at Sam Houston State University, told NBC Houston affiliate KPRC.

A woman gardening in the Briar Forest neighborhood of Houston found the snail and notified workers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center who deal with invasive plants. It is the first reported sighting of the mollusk in Texas, and no one seems to know how it got there.

The giant snails can lay 100 eggs per month, and though only one has been found, it is believed more are in the area.

Jack Fendrick, who lives near where the slimy giant was discovered, said he will do his part to warn of the potentially deadly snails.

"I think most kids especially would look at a big snail and want to touch it," he said. "That's scary."

[Red Badger]

VIDEO AT LINK!................

[US Navy Vet]

So where did it come from, Calipornia, New Yawk??!!

[thackney]

they can carry meningitis

There goes the possibility of eradication via a good gumbo recipe...

[Da Coyote]

It’s obvious that Obama or one of his dorky minions once touched a member of that snail family years ago...and the poor snails were infected.

[rarestia]

[Red Badger]

Africa via some exotic pet owner most likely.......

[MrB]

I’m betting some pigs or chickens would clear the problem right up.

[thackney]

“They carry a parasitic disease that can cause a lot of harm to humans and sometimes even death.”

The parasite is called rat lungworm which is a form of meningitis.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/giant-diseasespreading-snails-found-in-houston/-/1735978/20042282/-/w8b78t/-/index.html

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Dang, as if meingitis wasn’t bad enough, you get the “rat lungworm” variety. Who is going to admit the are sick with that?

[shove_it]

How did Harry Reid find his way to Houston?

[thackney]

If pigs were the answer, they would not be in Texas.

We are overrun with Feral hogs. Even getting into the suburban neighborhoods.

[Gadsden1st]

Wouldn’t the meningitis be killed by the heat?

[MrB]

yes, I’ve heard (herd) they’re a problem...

[deoetdoctrinae]

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[COBOL2Java]

[battousai]

The snails, researchers warn, are potentially dangerous to touch, in part because they can carry meningitis. Scientists have warned anyone who comes in contact with them to wash their hands thoroughly.

Wait so am I dead... is this the after life?.. Cause when I grew up in Africa whenever it rained there were dozens of these guys around and we all played with them as kids...

[Puppage]

[MrB]

“chance of”, for this generation of Americans, is “ooh nooo! scary! don’t touch! deadly!”

[MrB]

Look at that S Car Go!

[Puppage]

Look at that S Car Go!

LOL

A fellow connoisseur of bad puns.

[thackney]

Wouldn’t the meningitis be killed by the heat?

I would guess so. Would you feel hungry thinking the rat lungworm you were about eat should be dead?