Carbohydrate reserves and hemolymph sugars of the African giant snail, Achatina fulica in relation to parasitic infection and starvation

Abstract

In the snail, Achatina fulica, parasitized by the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis, levels of carbohydrate in hemolymph and digestive glands were determined. The normal level of hemolymph glucose of 11.7 mg% dropped to 4.25 mg% in the infected snails, a significant difference after only one week of infection. The level of total reducing sugar in the hemolymph also decreased significantly (12.3 mg% to 3.6 mg%) in this period. Later on, the snails were capable of adapting themselves to the parasitic infection and the concentration of hemolymph sugars returned to the normal range. Starvation caused a decrease in the carbohydrate reserves of the digestive gland only when the starved snails had been previously infected. © 1980 Springer-Verlag.