29-8-2023 (SYDNEY) Australian doctors have reported a startling medical first in which they discovered a parasitic roundworm typically found in snakes “alive and wriggling” in a woman’s brain. The 64-year-old Australian woman had undergone an MRI scan after experiencing memory lapses, revealing an “atypical lesion” in the front of her brain.
The parasite, an 8cm roundworm known as Ophidascaris robertsi, is common in kangaroos and carpet pythons but has never been reported in humans before. This case marks the first-ever instance of Ophidascaris infection in humans and the first case involving the brain of any mammalian species.
Researchers believe the woman contracted the parasite while foraging for edible shrubs near her home, which were likely contaminated with parasitic larvae shed in snake feces. DNA testing identified the parasite, which appeared as a “stringlike structure” on brain scans.
Infectious disease expert Sanjaya Senanayake praised the woman’s patience and courage, stating that it is “never easy or desirable to be the first patient in the world for anything.” He also suggested that similar cases might be recognized in the future as Ophidascaris roundworms are known to infect animals in other parts of the world.
The findings have been published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
