Shellscab

Shellscab is a parasitic infection common in snails and similar creatures. It has had disasterous consequences for attempts to farm the Taruvian Cave Snail and has been known to infect humans and drakiss involved in that business, when the condition is referrd to as "snailsick".

Transmission & Vectors

Shellscab is transmitted by a microscopic worm. This typically passes from snail to snail vial their mucus and is passed on during mating or other encounters. They can survive separated from a host for 2 to 3 days making the snails mucus trails potentially hazardous.

Symptoms

In most snails the infection is harmless, or at most a minor cosmetic issue - the worm tunnels through the shell creating the characteristic scab and lives in the gap between the shell and the snail's body feeding on the flesh of the snail, but in sufficiently small amounts that only the severest infestations seem to cause the snail any problems.

In the Taruvian Cave Snail, it does similar but the scabs formed and the wormtrails on the inside of the shell drastically affect the appearance of the opaline and make it far harder to work without shattering it.

When the infection passes into thouse who handle infected snailsthe worms will burrow through the hosts tissue searching for mucosal membranes - the gut, the genitals, the eyes are all suitable homes. The symptoms vary depending on where they settle, and what tissues they pass through. Deterioration of vision, damage to nerves and chronic irritation and susceptibility to infections are seen in sufferers of all species.

Treatment

It has recently been found that the worms are susceptible to salts of copper - this is most effective when applied directly to the mucosa where the worms have taken up residencebut it appears that taking a dose by mouth affects the mucosa throughout the body leading to a systemmic cure. Copper poisoning is a risk in these cases but one that many feel worth taking, for although much of the damage done by the worms is irreversible it prevents a worsening of the condition.

Type

Parasitic

Affected Species

• Drakiss
• Taruvian Cave Snail

Discovery of the Cure

For some time it had been recognised that the snail farms of Far Hurston were much less affected by shellscab than others, even on Naros and erven when using the larger Far Hurston strain of snails. This was found to be due to the use of copper trays for sorting, grading and transporting the snails and once this was recognised it was found that any exposure to copper salts was effective in killing the worms.