Australia: Doctors remove live worm from human brain

At a hospital in Canberra, doctors extracted the live worm the brain A 64-year-old woman. Parasitic race Opitascaris RobertsiiThis usually only happens in Pythons, A study in the special issue says Emerging infectious diseases. The operating neurosurgeon was completely confused and consulted his colleagues, The Australian reported Guardian.

“This is the first human case OpitascarisIt has been described all over the world,” the university’s leading epidemiologist, Professor Sanjaya Senanayake, was quoted as saying by Australian media. Canberra Hospital and co-author of the study. “To our knowledge, this is the first case of brain damage in a mammalian species, human or otherwise.” Doctors described the worm as “alive and spinning”.

A patient from New South Wales initially complained in early 2021 of abdominal pain and diarrhea, as well as a dry cough and night sweats. A year later, her symptoms also included forgetfulness and depression. The woman was then sent to Canberra Hospital. An MRI scan of his brain revealed abnormalities that eventually required surgery. “Being the world’s first patient is not always easy or desirable,” Senanayake expressed his condolences to the patient. “I can’t praise the woman enough for her patience and courage throughout this process.”

But how did the parasite get into the Australian woman’s brain? The woman is said to have lived in a lake area inhabited by carpet pythons. Although she has no direct contact with the snakes, she often gathers wild plants and grasses around the lakes to use for cooking. Researchers believe that a python may have passed the parasite eggs into the grassland through its faeces. The patient may have become infected after touching grass and transferring worm eggs to food or kitchen utensils.

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Opitascaris– Scientists write that the infection does not spread between people.