Doctors were surprised by what they found in the brain of a patient from Australia who was hospitalized with symptoms of depression and memory loss. It turned out that all these symptoms were caused by a live eight-centimeter worm that had entered her brain. “This is a once-in-a-career discovery. None of us expected it,” declared Professor Sanjaya Senanayake about the case.
- A live worm was found in the brain of a patient from Australia.
- The eight-centimeter worm was located in the frontal lobe.
- Experts found that the parasite is common in pythons, and this was the first case of human infection.
A patient from the southeastern part of the Australian state of New South Wales sought medical attention in late January 2021 after three weeks of persistent abdominal pain and diarrhea. Later, a dry cough, fever and night sweats were added to these symptoms. Her condition gradually worsened, and she also began to suffer from memory lapses and depression.
Magnetic resonance imaging revealed abnormalities in the brain that required neurosurgery. However, during the operation, the specialists could not believe their eyes. They discovered a moving roundworm in the frontal lobe, which was approximately 80 millimeters long and one millimeter thick. “We come across different cases, but something like this is only seen once in a lifetime,” stated Senanayake.
Doctors scoured the literature for any records of helminths causing neurological disease, but to no avail.. They therefore turned to an expert in parasitology, who immediately identified the worm as a species Ophidascaris robertsithe latter is known mainly as a parasite of pythons.
To this day, it is not entirely clear how the worm got to the patient’s brain. But it was discovered that the woman lived near the lake and often collected wild plants for cooking. Therefore, doctors believe that the eggs of the parasite, which the pythons left on the vegetation, were probably swallowed through unwashed ingredients or contaminated kitchen utensils.
Due to the nature of the infection, doctors had to be very careful with the treatment. The patient received antiparasitic drugs together with drugs to reduce possible inflammation of the brain. “No one wants to be the first person infected with a python worm, so I really admire her,” Senanayake noted, adding that six months after the operation and three months after the end of the treatment, the foci on the woman’s lungs and liver healed and her white blood cell count normalized.
Infectious disease specialist Professor Peter Collignon says many rare zoonotic diseases remain undiagnosed. “Sometimes people die and they don’t even know why,” he said. At the same time, the expert called for caution in contact with animals and emphasized the importance of thorough washing of food, proper heat treatment and wearing protective clothing to prevent bites.
This article comes from the Ringier publishing partner website. The content and data contained in it were taken without editorial intervention.
