Finding a live brain worm is rare. 4 ways to protect yourself from more common parasites
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Tuesday, August 29, 2023
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News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman’s brain in a Canberra hospital last year.
Key Points:
- News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman’s brain in a Canberra hospital last year.
- In the case study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, doctors describe removing the live 8cm-long nematode (roundworm) from the brain of the 64-year-old woman who was immunosuppressed.
- The woman may have come into contact with worm eggs via snake faeces while foraging for Warrigal greens to eat.
Common parasites and how they get in
- Giardia (Giardia duodenalis) is also very common and can contaminate food, water and surfaces.
- This water-borne parasite is associated with poor sanitation and causes stomach symptoms like diarrhoea, cramps, bloating, nausea and fatigue.
- Fortunately, these very common parasites do not infect the brain.
- The parasites can remain in the body for years as tiny tissue cysts.
- Read more:
One in three people are infected with _Toxoplasma_ parasite – and the clue could be in our eyes
Then there are tapeworms and amoebas
- Tapeworms can infect different parts of the body including the brain.
- It is more likely in locations where pigs have contact with human faeces via sewerage or waterways.
- Brain tissue can provide a home for larvae because it is soft and easy to get to via blood vessels.
Yikes! 4 ways to avoid parasitic infection
- And we know being infected by a snake parasite is very rare – finding one alive in someone’s brain is even rarer.
- To minimise your risk of infection you can: 1. avoid uncooked or raw pork.
- Avoid pork if you are travelling in places with poor sanitation 2. avoid jumping or diving into warm fresh bodies of water, especially if they are known to carry Naegleria fowleri.