Photo: Canberra Health
A 64-year old Woman living in Australia was hospitalized due to feeling depressed and being very forgetful. But this wasn't her stint at her local hospital. Back in 2021, she was dealing with abdominal pain and diarrhea. A year later, she ends up with a dry cough, fever and night sweats. Well, after being seen by a neurosurgeon at the Canberra Hospital, they spotted a 8cm-long parasitic roundworm roaming her head!
The parasite is called Ophidascaris robertsi, a roundworm usually found in pythons. The Canberra hospital patient marks the world-first case of the parasite being found in humans.
The patient possibly crossed paths with the parasite via a potential dropping from a python as the woman lives near a lake area and infected the grass where could've easily transfer the egg to her food and home.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals.