Angiostrongyliasis in Thailand: epidemiology and laboratory investigations.

Cerebral angiostrongyliasis due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis continues to affect human health and productivity in Thailand. The dietary habits of the populace have been an important contributing factor, particularly in the northeast of the country where the disease is endemic and the indigenous people enjoy a local undercooked snail dish called "koi-hoi". Hundreds of cases of disease continue to be reported annually. Because of the difficulty in obtaining a definitive diagnosis, immunological methods have played an important role in the confirmation of A. cantonensis infection. Although enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot are test formats that have been used over the past decade, modern molecular approaches, such as PCR-based diagnostic techniques, are being developed and assessed as additional tests for the diagnosis of cerebral angiostrongyliasis. This short review focuses on the history, incidence, and laboratory diagnosis of angiostrongyliasis in Thailand.