A LIVING AND WRIGGING WORM

DISCOVERED IN THE BRAIN OF AN AUSTRALIAN WOMAN

A roundworm, which commonly parasitizes snakes, has been discovered for the first time on a human, extracted "alive and writhing" from the brain of an Australian woman during surgery, Australian doctors announced Tuesday.

It was neurosurgeon Hari Priya Band who detected and removed the 8-centimeter worm, alive, from the brain of one of her patients.

Originally from southeast Australia, she was admitted at the end of January 2021 after suffering from abdominal pain, diarrhea then a dry cough, night sweats and fever.

A year later, this 64-year-old woman developed new symptoms: memory loss and depression.

These will then push her to return to Canberra hospital. After an MRI of the brain, an “abnormality requiring intervention” was revealed.

It was an Ophidascaris robertsi which, according to researchers, is a parasite of kangaroos and pythons in Australia. It parasitizes animals in other parts of the world, but has never before been detected in a human being.

“This is the first ever human case of Ophidascaris described in the world,” said infectious diseases specialist Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake.

“To our knowledge, this is also the very first case involving the brain of a mammalian species, human or otherwise,” he said.

Contamination via snake excrement

But then, how could such a parasite have infiltrated this patient's brain?

Living near a lake where there are many pythons, the patient used to walk there and collect herbs and plants.

Scientists believe the Australian was parasitized by edible plants, probably contaminated by larvae present in snake droppings. The parasite, whose "thread-like structure" appeared on brain scans, was later identified through DNA testing.

“It is never easy or desirable to be the first to be sick with anything in the world,” added Dr. Senanayake. “I cannot express enough our admiration for this woman, who showed patience and courage throughout this process.

According to Dr Senanayake, it is “likely that more cases will be identified in the future”.