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E. P. Caswell-Chen and K. R. Sanchez. Brown garden snail: Their microbial associates and a proposal to use them as biosentinels to detect pathogens. Department of Entomology and Nematology and Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Helix aspersa, the Brown Garden Snail, is a common terrestrial mollusk in California. It is native to the Mediterranean and was introduced to Santa Rosa, California in the 1850’s as a food source, escargot. It is an invasive pest and causes damage to plants in gardens, vegetable crops, ornamental plantings, orchards, and nurseries. Here, we describe the nematodes, bacteria, and fungi associated with Helix aspersa from nine different sites in California. A total of 550 snails were collected. Individual snails were dissected, and nematodes, bacteria, and fungal isolates were recovered. A range of nematode operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were recovered from the snails, ranging from bacterial feeders, such as Ceanorhabitis elegans and Panagrolaimus sp., to plant-parasitic nematodes such as Ditylenchus dipsaci, Pratylenchus sp., and Aphelenchoides fragariae. The bacteria isolated included E. coli and Psuedomonas putida, and fungi such as Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum f. sp. chrysanthemi, and Rhizoctonia solani. The temperature and moisture preferences of the snails and slugs, combined with their foraging preferences, clearly lead to associations with plant parasites. Because mollusks are mobile and traverse soil and plant material, they are, in effect, sampling the environment. Our observations establish the diversity of microbes associated with H. aspersa, and we have established its potential role as an important phoretic host or vector for plant pathogens. Given the range of nematodes, bacteria, and fungi we have observed associated with the BGS, we suggest that snails and slugs can be used as biosentinels or biomonitors to aid in sampling to detect plant pathogens as part of an IPM program - providing for enhanced sampling and possible rapid and early detection of pathogens.