A neurosurgeon at an Australian hospital made a startling discovery when investigating a woman’s mysterious symptoms. Surgeon Hari Priya Bandi, during a biopsy procedure through a hole in the patient’s skull at Canberra Hospital last year, extracted a wriggling worm from the woman’s brain. The parasite measured 8 centimeters, or roughly 3 inches.
Bandi, quoted in The Canberra Times newspaper, recounted her reaction to the unexpected find: “I just thought: ‘What is that? It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s alive and moving. It continued to move with vigor. We all felt a bit sick,” she added.
The creature turned out to be the larva of an Australian native roundworm, not previously known to be a human parasite, called Ophidascaris robertsi. These worms are typically found in carpet pythons.
The extraordinary medical case was documented in an article authored by Bandi and Canberra infectious diseases physician Sanjaya Senanayake, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The woman had been admitted to the hospital due to a three-month history of forgetfulness and worsening depression, with brain scans revealing changes. A year prior, she had been hospitalized with various symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, a dry cough, and night sweats.
The brain biopsy was initially expected to uncover cancer or an abscess. However, the patient had previously been treated for a mystery illness suspected to be an immunological condition, as no parasite had been detected.
Senanayake recalled the moment when the worm was found, saying, “Suddenly, with her (Bandi’s) forceps, she’s picking up this thing that’s wriggling. She and everyone in that operating theater were absolutely stunned.”
Fortunately, the patient regained consciousness without any negative consequences after the worm was extracted.
Six months following the removal of the worm, the patient’s neuropsychiatric symptoms had improved, but some persisted. She had returned home but remained under medical observation. Further details about her current condition have not been disclosed.
The eggs of these worms are often found in snake droppings, which can contaminate grass eaten by small mammals. The life cycle continues as other snakes consume these mammals.
The patient resides near a habitat frequented by carpet pythons and forages for native vegetation called warrigal greens to cook. While she had no direct contact with snakes, scientists hypothesize that she may have consumed the eggs from the vegetation or from her contaminated hands.