The disease prevention and control center in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said on Tuesday a person has been found to have supplied Amazonian snails to restaurants in Beijing, but it is not known whether the snails provided by the man are the culprits.

An official with the center surnamed Pan said that the supplier was caught on Monday in accordance with the invoices provided by restaurants including Shuguo Yanyi - where more than 80 people ate raw or undercooked snails and fell ill.

The center has taken snail samples from the businessman for testing.

Pan said they will not disclose the name of the supplier unless the test result shows that it was in fact him who sold the batch of snails incriminated in the Beijing angiostrongyliasis scare.

The official said it is possible that the man found is not the only supplier of snails to Beijing.

The supplier said he started the snail business about two years ago. He bought Amazonian snails in townships of Lingui County at a price of 0.8 yuan (about US$10) per kilogram and sold them to aquatic products dealers in Beijing and Guangzhou at 2.8 yuan (about US$35 cents) per kilogram.

The supplier said he sent the snails to Beijing every week.

"I have stopped my business and am waiting for the test result," he said.

The Chinese capital reported that 131 people have been infected with a type of angiostrongyliasis, a disease caused by parasites that affect the brain and spinal cord, and can lead to meningitis, after eating raw or undercooked snails since June 24, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2006)