This is the first case of a widespread parasitic infection in the world: a live parasitic roundworm “Ophidascaris robertsi” 8 cm long was found in the brain of a 64-year-old Australian woman.

She underwent surgery after complaining of abdominal pain, memory problems and depression. His case was the subject of a magazine article New infectious diseases.

Something alive in the brain

this “atypical lesion“It was identified thanks to an MRI examination, in the front part of the brain.

“When you operate on a human brain and perform a biopsy, you never expect to find something alive.“, said Reuters Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, one of the authors of the study.

The worm in question most commonly parasitizes pythons and kangaroos. The victim lived near a lake inhabited by pythons and may have been discovered while foraging for wild grass that may have been contaminated with their feces.

The source of the contamination is unclear

“Although she had no direct contact with snakes, she often collected native vegetation, flagella (Tetragonia tetragonioides) leaves from around the lake to use in cooking. We hypothesized that she had inadvertently consumed O’s eggs. robertsi, either directly from the vegetation or indirectly by contaminating its hands or cooking equipmente”, can we read in a scientific journal.

This is not only the first human case in the world, but also the first time it has been found in the brain of a mammalian species, explained Dr. Sanjay Senanayake, before adding that he in the East.it is possible that more cases will be discovered in the future.”.