If you are currently snacking on something, particularly vegetables, you might want to put them aside until you finish reading this.
A new simulation has been developed to depict a woman’s experience last year, which led to surgeons performing brain surgery on her.
Dr. Hari Priya Bandi conducted the intricate surgery on a 64-year-old woman in Australia and was astounded by her findings.
The woman’s ordeal began in 2021 when she was hospitalized due to deteriorating health, enduring three weeks of stomach pain and diarrhea, followed by a cough and fever.
Over time, her symptoms progressed into forgetfulness and depression, prompting another hospital visit, as reported by CNN.
Eventually, the woman underwent an MRI scan that revealed something unusual in her brain, prompting doctors to proceed with surgery.
What they discovered was unexpected: a three-inch live worm residing in her brain.
Tests identified the parasite as Ophidascaris robertsi, a roundworm typically found in pythons.
The simulation illustrates how these worms usually inhabit the reptile, which excretes the worm’s eggs.
The eggs are believed to have landed on some wild greens that the woman consumed, with one egg hatching in her gut.
It is thought to have traveled to her brain through her bloodstream.
This marked the first time a live worm was found in a human brain.
“I’ve only come across worms using my not-so-good gardening skills,” Dr. Bandi remarked.
“I find them terrifying and this is not something I deal with at all.”
Infectious disease expert Sanjaya Senanayake from Canberra Hospital noted that the worm was ‘immediately’ identified by an animal parasitology expert.
“To our knowledge, this is also the first case to involve the brain of any mammalian species, human or otherwise,” Senanayake mentioned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uyx1JZu0LA
The narrative is enough to make anyone uneasy, but the newly created simulation adds to the discomfort.
One viewer commented: “A worm living inside my brain is literally my worst nightmare.”
Another added: “Watching this with a headache is absolute nightmare fuel.”
Some joked that the lesson is to avoid eating vegetables.
“Moral of the story: Eat cheeseburgers and not salads,” quipped one person.
Another person humorously noted: “New achievement: excuse to not eat green veges to mother.”