Worm common in python snakes found in human brain for first time, study finds

The unpublished case report of a woman infected with a common worm in python snakes was published in the most recent issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. According to the study, the 64-year-old woman residing in Australia underwent a biopsy that removed the parasite in June 2022.

When it was removed from the patient’s brain, the worm, of the species ophidascaris robertsi, it measured 8 centimeters and was alive. The medical team found that it was a third-stage larva.

This is the first time that an infection with larvae of O. robertsi is reported in humans, the article states. The authors’ hypothesis is that the woman was infected directly, after consuming the worm’s eggs in vegetation harvested for food, or indirectly, through the contamination of her hands or kitchen utensils.

Although the woman was not identified, the report, signed by infectologist Mehrab E Hossain and other authors, reveals that she lived in a lake area inhabited by carpet python snakes.

The case surprised the scientific community, because, until then, previous experimental studies had not “demonstrated larval development in domesticated animals, such as sheep, dogs and cats, and showed more restricted larval growth in non-native birds and mammals than in native mammals”.

According to the report, six months after the worm removal surgery, the neuropsychiatric symptoms improved, but remained.

clinical report

The patient sought medical care for the first time in early 2021, complaining of abdominal pain and diarrhea, followed by a dry cough and night sweats. The first diagnosis was eosinophilic pneumonia.

Three weeks later, the woman returned to the hospital again due to recurrent fever and cough, while using the previously indicated medication.

In the year 2022, the patient began to experience memory loss and worsening of a depressive condition. At the time, the medical team identified a lesion in his right frontal lobe, which led to a biopsy.

During the surgical intervention, doctors noticed “a thread-like structure within the lesion,” which would later be identified as a third-stage larvae of Ophidascaris robertsi.

After the removal of the worm, the patient used vermifuge and a corticoid to combat possible larvae in other organs.

Source: CNN Brasil

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