A neurosurgeon, Dr. Hari Priya Bandi, found an 8cm-long live worm in the brain of a 64-year-old Australian woman who had been experiencing mystery symptoms. The worm, an Ophidascaris robertsi larva, was still moving after being removed during surgery. This incident marked the first-ever human case of this type of worm.
The woman’s symptoms began with abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Eventually, she experienced forgetfulness and depression. An MRI revealed the worm in her brain.
The patient’s symptoms improved after the worm was removed, and she was treated with antiparasitic drugs. The worm’s presence was likely due to contact with native grass or ingestion of it, which had been contaminated by python feces carrying the worm’s eggs.
The worm usually lives in pythons and uses small mammals and marsupials as intermediate hosts. Humans are accidental hosts of its larvae. Roundworms are hardy and adaptable creatures capable of thriving in various environments.
