In an Unprecedented Event, Doctor Extracts Live Worm from Human Brain

Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases physician at Canberra Hospital in Australia, received a shocking call from Dr. Hari Priya Bandi, a neurosurgeon who had just performed brain surgery. According to Senanayake, Bandi exclaimed, “Oh, my god, you wouldn’t believe what I just found in this lady’s brain. It’s alive and wriggling.” As reported by the Guardian, removing a live 3-inch-long roundworm from a human brain was not part of Bandi’s plans for the day. If she had known, she might not have come into work. Bandi, in an interview with CNN, admitted, “I’ve only come across worms using my not-so-good gardening skills,” adding, “I find them terrifying.” And now, even more so. CNN states that this case, described in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, represents the “first discovery of a live worm inside a human brain.”

The patient, a 64-year-old woman from New South Wales, was admitted to the hospital in January 2021 with symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, dry cough, and night sweats. By the following year, she was also suffering from forgetfulness and depression, prompting doctors to conduct an MRI scan of her brain, as mentioned in the Guardian. The scan revealed an abnormality in the right frontal lobe, but the nature of the abnormality remained unclear. Bandi told the BBC, “A live roundworm was definitely not what we were expecting.” Senanayake added that there was a definite “yuck factor.” After the surgery in June 2022, the roundworm was sent to a government agency lab, where it was quickly identified as Ophidascaris robertsi, a species commonly found in pythons.

It turns out the patient had a habit of collecting native grasses from a lake area inhabited by carpet pythons. Doctors suspect that the grasses she collected and subsequently ingested may have contained python feces carrying roundworm eggs. The roundworm not only invaded her brain but likely also her lungs and liver, as reported by CNN. Along with medication to counteract inflammation, which can be harmful to organs, the woman received additional treatment. Senanayake expressed sympathy for the patient, saying, “You don’t want to be the first patient in the world with a roundworm found in pythons,” but commended her for her courage and resilience. The patient, who has a weakened immune system due to a pre-existing medical condition, is recovering well and continues to be closely monitored.