ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A type of infectious parasite has been spotted inside invasive snail species brought to Georgia, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

But every so often, it’s an indicator of a much more nightmarish scenario: parasites setting up shop in your brain after previously incubating in rodents, slugs, and snails. This was ...

The parasite gets its name from its complicated life cycle, which relies on slugs and snails as well as rats. In rats, the worms reproduce, and first-stage larvae are released in the rodent's feces.

Although rodents alone host the adult form of the parasite, their feces pass its larvae to snails and slugs, which can transmit the worm to humans. The larvae that infect people never mature ...

A recent University of Hawaii study predicts that rat lungworm disease, which is carried by snails and slugs, will spread to higher elevations as the climate warms. -- LORRIN PANG photo ...