Neurosurgeon investigating mystery symptoms pulls 3-inch worm from woman's brain

A neurosurgeon investigating a woman’s mystery symptoms in an Australian hospital says she plucked a wriggling worm from the patient’s brain.

Surgeon Hari Priya Bandi was performing a biopsy through a hole in the 64-year-old patient’s skull at Canberra Hospital last year when she used forceps to pull out the parasite, which measured 8 centimeters, or 3 inches.

“I just thought: ‘What is that? It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s alive and moving,’” Bandi was quoted Tuesday in The Canberra Times newspaper.

The creature was the larva of an Australian native roundworm not previously known to be a human parasite, named Ophidascaris robertsi. The worms are commonly found in carpet pythons.

The woman had been admitted to the hospital after experiencing forgetfulness and worsening depression over three months. Scans showed changes in her brain.

A year earlier, she had been admitted to her local hospital in southeast New South Wales state with symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, a dry cough and night sweats.

Senanayake said the brain biopsy was expected to reveal a cancer or an abscess.

“This patient had been treated ... for what was a mystery illness that we thought ultimately was a immunological condition because we hadn’t been able to find a parasite before and then out of nowhere, this big lump appeared in the frontal part of her brain,” Senanayake said.

Bandi said her patient regained conscious after the worm was extracted without any negative consequences.

“She was so grateful to have an answer for what had been causing her trouble for so very long,” Bandi said.

Six months after the worm was removed, the patient’s neuropsychiatric symptoms had improved but persisted, the journal article said.

The patient had been sent home soon after the surgery with antiparasitic drugs and had not returned to hospital since, Senanayake said. “She’s done OK, but obviously because this is a new infection, we’re keeping a close eye on her,” Senanayake told Ten Network television.




An Australian neurosurgeon investigaing a woman's mystery symptoms was surprised to pluck a 3-inch live worm from her brain. (AP Photo via Canberra Health Services)