‘It’s Alive and Wriggling:’ Doctor Freaks Out When Extracting Parasite Only Found in Pythons From Woman’s Brain

An Australian neurosurgeon discovered a still-wriggling roundworm in a woman's brain, marking what appears to be the first documented case of the parasite Ophidascaris robertsi, typically found only in pythons, infecting a human.

The 64-year-old woman first sought medical attention in January 2021 after enduring weeks of stomach pain and diarrhea, as detailed in a case study in the September edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The woman reported symptoms like fever, night sweats, and a dry cough.

By the following year, she manifested cognitive symptoms, including memory lapses and depression. An MRI at the hospital led doctors to decide on surgical intervention, even though the cause of her symptoms remained undetermined.

Physicians in Canberra were taken aback when they extracted a living roundworm, approximately 3.14 inches long, from her brain. They swiftly sent the specimen to a parasitology expert for closer examination, as reported by The Guardian.

The expert was stumped upon confirming that the worm typically resides almost exclusively in pythons.

The patient, a resident of New South Wales along Australia's eastern seaboard, clarified that she had never been in direct contact with pythons. However, she mentioned using yard grass as an ingredient in homemade dishes, suggesting that a snake might have transmitted the parasite through its feces.

To clear any residual larvae, potentially in her liver, doctors advised a complete course of anti-parasitic medication. The medical team is also probing if any specific factors, such as a compromised immune system, made her particularly vulnerable to the infection.

“That poor patient, she was so courageous and wonderful,” Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease expert who helped identify the worm, told The Guardian.

"You don’t want to be the first patient in the world with a roundworm found in pythons and we really take our hats off to her. She’s been wonderful.”