Deadly Snails Invading Houston; Carry Meningitis

A Giant African Land Snail has been discovered in the backyard of a Houston home. Now, researchers are sending out a serious warning.  Scientists say the snails ARE extremely dangerous and they spread a deadly disease.  People are being warned not to touch them.

Dr. Autumn Smith-Herron is the director of the institute for the Study of Invasive Species at Sam Houston State University. She was notified about the snail in Houston and wants people to know they can get very sick if they handle one.

“They also carry a parasitic disease that can cause a lot of harm to humans and sometimes even death.” said Dr. Autumn Smith-Herron, “It causes Meningitis.”

Giant African Land Snails reproduce rapidly. They can lay as many as 100 eggs a month. So, it’s likely there are more where the one found on this street came from.

Researchers are sending out teams to search for the snail in this neighborhood. officials are asking anyone who may have seen one of these giants to call Sam Houston University.

Source:fox2now