2023-08-29 13:59:13
Doctors in Australia have found a live worm, three inches long, in the brain of a 64-year-old woman. The parasitic worm is usually found only in pythons. The woman had previously complained of forgetfulness and depression for over three months. The year before, other complaints such as stomach pain, diarrhea, dry cough and night sweats had appeared.
An MRI scan eventually revealed an abnormality in the right frontal lobe of her brain, which had rapidly changed during later examinations. During a biopsy at Canberra Hospital in June 2022, surgeons discovered the thread-like object, as reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. “My first thought was that it was some kind of cable. But then I realized it was moving,” neurosurgeon Hari Priya Bandi told Australia’s ABC.
“We were all overcome by a wave of nausea”
The doctor was not prepared for the unusual find. “When I saw it moving, I said, ‘Get it out of my hands right now!'” She called a colleague over for advice. “We all felt a wave of nausea and put the thing in a pot, where it quickly wriggled and tried to escape.”
Experts from the national science agency CSRIO identified the species as a nematode called Ophidascaris robertsi. It was the first documented case of a human brain infection with the parasite. After consultation with specialists in infectious diseases, it was decided that the wound should first be washed and closed. The woman was then given medication to kill any other parasites that might be present in her body.
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How did the worm get into the woman’s brain?
In their study, the doctors reported how the worm got into the brain of the British-born woman. Accordingly, she lives in a lake area in the eastern Australian state of New South Wales, where carpet pythons also lived. The Australian regularly collected a local variety of spinach and used it for cooking. Doctors believe the larvae eggs were transmitted through the snakes’ droppings. Normally, the eggs are ingested via the faeces of small mammals, which in turn are eaten by the pythons as intermediate hosts. This creates a cycle of infection. The woman either ingested them directly by consuming the plant or through hands or kitchen utensils.
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The patient’s 16-month history suggests that the parasite then migrated through various organs, including the lungs and liver. According to doctors, transmission of parasites and diseases from wildlife to humans is common. According to the doctors, there was no risk of infection. However, they warned to pay attention to hygiene when eating collected wild plants.
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