Live Parasitic Worm Normally Found In Pythons Removed From Woman’s Brain
Cool.
Via The Guardian:
It was a fairly regular day on the ward for Canberra hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, until a neurosurgeon colleague called him and said: “Oh my god, you wouldn’t believe what I just found in this lady’s brain – and it’s alive and wriggling.”
The neurosurgeon, Dr Hari Priya Bandi, had pulled an 8cm-long parasitic roundworm from her patient, prompting her to call on Senanayake and other hospital colleagues for advice about what to do next.
The patient, a 64-year-old woman from south-eastern New South Wales, was first admitted to her local hospital in late January 2021 after suffering three weeks of abdominal pain and diarrhoea, followed by a constant dry cough, fever and night sweats.
By 2022, her symptoms also included forgetfulness and depression, prompting a referral to Canberra hospital. An MRI scan of her brain revealed abnormalities requiring surgery.
So, she had the worm in her brain for over a year? Fun. Oh, and don’t worry, no worms were harmed during this surgery. The worm was still alive when they pulled it out of the woman’s brain, and it was then sent off to another lab for more testing, where they discovered it was the kind of worm typically found in pythons.
Awesome:
Ophidascaris robertsi is a roundworm usually found in pythons. The Canberra hospital patient marks the world-first case of the parasite being found in humans.
The patient resides near a lake area inhabited by carpet pythons. Despite no direct snake contact, she often collected native grasses, including warrigal greens, from around the lake to use in cooking, Senanayake said.
The patient is now recovering, and she’ll presumably be staying away from the lake near her house where it’s believed she came in contact with the parasite.
