A living parasitic worm was discovered inside the brain of a 64-year-old Australian lady, marking the first human case of infection.
Doctors and researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) and Canberra Hospital discovered a live 8 cm (3.15 inch) roundworm in a woman’s brain.
The Ophidascaris robertsi roundworm, whose usual host is a carpet python, was extracted from the patient alive and squirming following brain surgery. The larvae of the parasitic worm were also suspected of infecting other organs in the woman’s body, such as her lungs and liver.
This is the first-ever human case of Ophidascaris
“This is the first-ever human case of Ophidascaris to be described in the world,” Sanjaya Senanayake, an expert on infectious diseases at the ANU and Canberra Hospital said in a statement.
“To our knowledge, this is also the first case to involve the brain of any mammalian species, human or otherwise.
“Normally the larvae from the roundworm are found in small mammals and marsupials, which are eaten by the python, allowing the life cycle to complete itself in the snake.”
How did the worm enter a woman’s brain in Australia?
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, believe the woman contracted the virus via Warrigal greens, a type of native grass she collected near her home and then cooked.
The grasses provide a home for pythons, which would have shed the parasite’s eggs in their feces.
Ophidascaris robertsi roundworms are found in the oesophagus and stomach of carpet pythons.
Roundworms, described as “incredibly resilient” by ANU, can flourish in a variety of conditions.
The woman’s symptoms first occurred in January 2021 and worsened over three weeks
According to the experts, the woman from the southeastern state of New South Wales became sick after touching or eating the natural grass.
Karina Kennedy, director of clinical microbiology at Canberra Hospital and associate professor at the ANU Medical School, said the woman’s symptoms first occurred in January 2021 and worsened over three weeks before she was taken to hospital.
“She initially developed abdominal pain and diarrhea, followed by fever, cough, and shortness of breath. In retrospect, these symptoms were likely due to the migration of roundworm larvae from the bowel and into other organs, such as the liver and the lungs. Respiratory samples and a lung biopsy were performed; however, no parasites were identified in these specimens,” she said.
“At that time, trying to identify the microscopic larvae, which had never previously been identified as causing human infection, was a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
There have been about 30 new infections in the world in the last 30 years
By 2022, the woman was suffering from forgetfulness and sadness, prompting an MRI scan, which showed a lesion in her brain.
When a hospital neurosurgeon inspected it, he was astounded to see the parasitic worm, whose identification was later confirmed by parasitology experts.
Senanayake stated that the episode highlights the growing danger of disease transmission from animals to people.
“There have been about 30 new infections in the world in the last 30 years. Of the emerging infections globally, about 75 percent are zoonotic, meaning there has been transmission from the animal world to the human world. This includes coronaviruses,” he said.
“This Ophidascaris infection does not transmit between people, so it won’t cause a pandemic like SARS, COVID-19, or Ebola. However, the snake and parasite are found in other parts of the world, so other cases will likely be recognized in the coming years in other countries.”
The woman, who had not entirely recovered from a bout of pneumonia before becoming infected with the parasitic worm, is still being monitored by specialists.