Beijing has confirmed a new case of "snail infection", bringing the total number of cases to 132.

The 31-year-old man saw doctors at about eight city hospitals before finally being diagnosed with a type of a giostrongyliasis at Beijing Friendship Hospital on Friday.

Like most of the other patients, he ate snails at the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant that serves Sichuan-style dishes on July 11 and developed symptoms of headache and fever on July 27, said a doctor surnamed Yin at the hospital.

Yin said the eight who were hospitalized at the Friendship Hospital were recovering well and would all be discharged next week.

The hospital is offering checkups every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning to ensure the patients' complete recovery.

The disease caused by parasites can affect the brain and spinalcord, and also lead to meningitis.

The Friendship Hospital has diagnosed 112 cases and admitted 71 patients since June 24. No deaths have been reported.

The Amazonian snail culprits have been traced back to southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to the investigation by Beijing Health Bureau.

Amazonian snails originated in South America and first came to China in the 1980s as a delicacy. The first report of a person falling ill after eating the snails came from Guangzhou, capital city of the southern province of Guangdong.

Until recently, the big black snails were a hot-selling aquatic product in big Chinese cities like Beijing.

(english.cqnews.net September 25, 2006)