They're likely shipped to Miami, hidden with the plants and tropical fruits. He said the New Guinea flatworms originate in that South Pacific island. This is very serious, this is very serious.” That's why officials need help finding them.īeckford said state officials "have a phone number that one can call to report this problem and they'll send an agent to actually deal with that. The worms may look harmless, but mix in a rat or two and a person could be affected by a deadly disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. ![]() "They're a dark worm with a dorsal orange stripe down the center of their back," says Beckford. Now a Cape resident has found some of those worms in a flower pot and that has officials launching a serious investigation.įort Myers-based WFTX showed photos of the worms to Roy Beckford, an agriculture agent in Lee County who works with the University of Florida. It was big news last year when these worms were found in Miami, now we're learning they were also spotted in Cape Coral last September, we just didn't know. It's an invasive species called the New Guinea flatworm and was discovered last year in Miami, now local and state officials are investigating. A potentially deadly worm found in Florida on Thursday is raising concerns about how it got here and how to keep them out. The Texas Invasive Species Institute suggests spraying the worm with a home-made solution you can find here. Ĭopyright 2019 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.CAPE CORAL, Fla. None of her neighbors have spotted the worm. She posted the warning on a neighborhood Facebook page. “It still makes me feel, this is like gross, because that parasite could be living on a worm in my yard,” Ganucheau said. An employee responded, confirming the species of worm, and warned it can “carry roundworm parasites, so don’t handle bare-handed.” In two days, Ganucheau collected 50 New Guinea Flatworms and emailed pictures to the Texas Invasive Species Institute. “It came back the next night, and then there was more of them.” “I saw this leech-looking worm and it was just really weird,” Ganucheau said. That's also how conservationists believe the worm ended up in Florida and Puerto Rico. The worms likely came from her plants, she says. ![]() To do that, she buys all kinds of plants from a variety of stores, including Lowes and Garden Center. Marranda Ganucheau raises butterflies in her backyard in Pearland. The CDC says cases of meningitis resulting from ingesting the parasite are "extremely rare," but there have been several cases in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Symptoms can include severe "headache, stiff neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin, nausea and vomiting." The CDC calls a rat lungworm infection "rat lungworm disease," and says, "even if infected, most people recover fully without treatment" but when the parasite reaches the brain, it can cause "a rare form of meningitis." What happens if you get infected with the rat lungworm parasite? "Yes, people can get infected, under unusual circumstances," the CDC website says if the infected invertebrates are ingested.Īn infected human or pet cannot infect another human or pet. Certain worms and snails eat the infected rat poop and carry the parasite. The Centers for Disease Control says the rat lungworm parasite is born in the lungs of rats and ends up in their feces. Please do not pick them up with your bare hands." What is the rat lungworm parasite? The flatworm itself is not a parasite, but it has the potential to carry them. The Texas Invasive Species Institute says on its website that the worm can get up to 1.6 to 2.6 inches long, and is "known to be a paratenic host of the rat lungworm. ![]() The International Union for Conservation of Nature called the New Guinea flatworm worm one of the world's "100 worst invasive alien species" because of its threat to snail populations. It is native to New Guinea, but was discovered in the continental United States in 2015, in Florida, and has since been found in Puerto Rico and Texas. The New Guinea flatworm, or Platydemus manokwari, is a black worm with a pale stripe on its back. HOUSTON – The Texas Invasive Species Institute confirmed that the New Guinea Flatworm has invaded a Pearland family's backyard, and warned her that the worm can carry the rat lungworm parasite.
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