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 very severe abdominal disease. Ingestion of raw vegetables has been proven to 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 viability 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 and WV were recovered as adult worms. This larvicidal effect of BW was seen also in incubation times as short as 15 min. In conclusion, the 1.5% bleach solution may be helpful for prophylaxis of human abdominal angiostrongyliasis through disinfection of raw vegetables and unpeeled fruits.