Doctors from a Hospital from Canberra, Australia, reported an unprecedented and indisputably intriguing case: a woman 64-year-old woman had a parasitic roundworm lodged in her brain. The species is normally associated with python snakes.
You symptoms Initial symptoms that the patient presented were varied and worrisome: abdominal pain, diarrhea, dry cough, fever and night sweats, all without any obvious explanation.
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Furthermore, she started to face memory problems and depression. These signs persisted for months, between 2021 and 2022, until, in fact, the discovery of the truth.
A neurosurgeon conducted the operation to remove the parasite, which measured about 8 centimeters.
The medical staff were stunned as they had no idea what they were up against. It was only after the patient was referred to an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, that the diagnosis of the parasite was revealed.
(Image: Canberra Health/Reproduction)
“Neurosurgeons often deal with brain infections, but this was an absolutely unique finding. Nobody could have expected this”, said Dr. Senanayake to the British newspaper The Guardian.
The live parasite was taken to a laboratory, where one scientist readily identified it as ophidascaris robertsi — a roundworm commonly found in python snakes. This is the first known case in the world of a worm of this type infecting a human being.
It is believed that the patient was contaminated by coming into contact with native grass or by consuming vegetables picked in an area inhabited by pythons, as she lived in an area where these animals are common. Snakes can release the parasites into the grass, experts explain.
The medical team undertook a treatment to eliminate the worm's larvae that were possibly in other parts of the patient's body.
This extraordinary case highlights the importance of understanding the complex interactions between humans and the natural environment and reminds us of the diversity of life forms that exist around us.