Doctors Remove Live Worm from Australian Woman's Brain
2023-08-30
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1A brain doctor in Australia received a huge surprise during an operation on a patient's brain last year:
2"Gosh, what is that, it's moving. Take it out of my hands."
3That is what Australian neurosurgeon Hari Priya Bandi said about finding a worm, or parasite, last year in a patient's brain.
4Bandi was looking for the unexplained cause of symptoms in a 64-year-old woman.
5She found the cause after drilling a small hole in the woman's skull and looking at her brain.
6Bandi performed the operation at Canberra Hospital in 2022.
7She discussed the discovery this week after publishing a study with Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
8The doctors said the worm was a roundworm native to Australia.
9It was about eight centimeters.
10Before the discovery, it was not known to affect humans.
11The worms are often found in carpet pythons, a kind of large snake found in Australia and on some Pacific islands.
12Senanayake was on duty at the hospital last year when the worm was found.
13"I got a call saying: 'We've just removed a live worm from this patient's brain,'" he said.
14The woman started medical treatment earlier in 2022 after saying she was experiencing depression and forgetfulness.
15Brain images showed changes over a three-month period.
16Bandi's investigation was expected to show an infection or a cancerous tumor. Instead, she found the worm.
17"Everyone in that operating theater was absolutely stunned," Senanayake said of the "wriggling" thing.
18Before the operation, the patient had come to a hospital in New South Wales with stomach sickness, pain, and sweats at night.
19Bandi said the patient did not show any problems from the worm removal.
20Her mental health is improving, too, but some problems continue.
21"She was so grateful to have an answer for what has been causing her trouble for so very long," Bandi said.
22The patient has not been back to the hospital.
23Doctors gave her some medicine to kill parasites.
24Bandi said the doctors are continuing to watch the patient's overall health.
25"We're keeping a close eye on her," Senanayake told an Australian broadcaster.
26The doctors believe the woman may have accidentally eaten the worm's eggs.
27She lives in the same area as the carpet python.
28The python sheds the worms and their eggs in its waste.
29They believe it is possible that the woman gathered some native plants to eat, and they had the worm's eggs on them.
30I'm Dan Friedell.
1A brain doctor in Australia received a huge surprise during an operation on a patient's brain last year: 2"Gosh, what is that, it's moving. Take it out of my hands." 3That is what Australian neurosurgeon Hari Priya Bandi said about finding a worm, or parasite, last year in a patient's brain. 4Bandi was looking for the unexplained cause of symptoms in a 64-year-old woman. 5She found the cause after drilling a small hole in the woman's skull and looking at her brain. Bandi performed the operation at Canberra Hospital in 2022. She discussed the discovery this week after publishing a study with Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake in Emerging Infectious Diseases. 6The doctors said the worm was a roundworm native to Australia. It was about eight centimeters. Before the discovery, it was not known to affect humans. The worms are often found in carpet pythons, a kind of large snake found in Australia and on some Pacific islands. 7Senanayake was on duty at the hospital last year when the worm was found. 8"I got a call saying: 'We've just removed a live worm from this patient's brain,'" he said. 9The woman started medical treatment earlier in 2022 after saying she was experiencing depression and forgetfulness. Brain images showed changes over a three-month period. 10Bandi's investigation was expected to show an infection or a cancerous tumor. Instead, she found the worm. 11"Everyone in that operating theater was absolutely stunned," Senanayake said of the "wriggling" thing. 12Before the operation, the patient had come to a hospital in New South Wales with stomach sickness, pain, and sweats at night. 13Bandi said the patient did not show any problems from the worm removal. Her mental health is improving, too, but some problems continue. 14"She was so grateful to have an answer for what has been causing her trouble for so very long," Bandi said. The patient has not been back to the hospital. Doctors gave her some medicine to kill parasites. Bandi said the doctors are continuing to watch the patient's overall health. 15"We're keeping a close eye on her," Senanayake told an Australian broadcaster. 16The doctors believe the woman may have accidentally eaten the worm's eggs. She lives in the same area as the carpet python. The python sheds the worms and their eggs in its waste. They believe it is possible that the woman gathered some native plants to eat, and they had the worm's eggs on them. 17I'm Dan Friedell. 18Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. 19____________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21worm -n. a long thin simple animal 22parasite -n. a plant or animal that lives on another plant or animal from which it gets food and protection 23symptom -n. a sign of disease or infection 24tumor -n. a mass of tissue that is made up of abnormal cells 25stunned -adj. shocked, very surprised 26wriggle -v. moving in small, quick twisting movements from side to side 27sweats -n. (pl.) repeatedly producing fluid from the skin as a sign of sickness 28grateful -adj. feeling and showing thanks 29shed -v. to lose something naturally; to have something drop away 30We want to hear from you. What did you think when you heard about the worm in the woman's brain?