Live Worm Found in Australian Woman's Brain in World's First!

A neurosurgeon in Australia removed a live parasitic worm that was 8 centimeters long (3 inches) from the brain of a 64-year-old woman who was experiencing mysterious symptoms.

While operating on the woman's skull, the surgeon, Hari Priya Bandi, discovered a live parasite that was thought to be the first of its kind to be found in a human brain.

“I just thought: ‘What is that? It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s alive and moving,’” Dr Bandi was quoted by local media. She ended up plucking the worm out with forceps. “It continued to move with vigour. We all felt a bit sick.”

The roundworm, Ophidascaris robertsi, was still alive and moving (wriggling) when it was removed from the woman's brain during surgery last year. This species of roundworm is native to Australia and has not been previously known to infect humans.

The woman's symptoms started in January 2021, with abdominal pain and diarrhea. She then developed fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

The woman was admitted to the hospital in late January 2021 after suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhea for three weeks. She also had a constant dry cough, fever, and night sweats.

Doctors believe that the woman's symptoms were caused by roundworm larvae migrating from her bowel to other organs, such as her liver and lungs.