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Woman's brain worm infection confirmed after eggs grow tails in lab test

Woman's brain worm infection confirmed after eggs grow tails in lab test

Summary

A woman in the Philippines experienced sudden shaking on one side of her body. Doctors found nodules in her brain caused by eggs from a parasitic worm called Schistosoma japonicum, which can infect humans through freshwater snails and sometimes reach the brain, causing neurological problems like seizures.

Key Facts

  • The woman was a rice farmer in the Philippines who suddenly had shaking on her right arm and leg.
  • MRI scans showed clusters of nodules in her brain, which doctors suspected were worm eggs.
  • The parasite involved is Schistosoma japonicum, a type of blood fluke common in the Philippines, China, and parts of Indonesia.
  • The worm's life cycle involves snails and humans, starting when eggs hatch, infect snails, and later larvae with tails swim through skin to infect people.
  • Adult worms live in blood vessels near the liver and intestines, often without symptoms, but their eggs cause inflammation and damage.
  • In rare cases, eggs can move to the brain, causing seizures and other neurological problems.
  • The diagnosis used a lab test where the woman’s blood serum made antibody tails form on worm eggs, confirming infection.
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