A 56-year-old woman in Guangxi, China, was found to have a 5cm parasitic worm living inside her brain for seven years after developing facial paralysis, weakness and difficulty speaking.
Luo Fang, a pseudonym, first developed symptoms in 2017, including facial distortion, weakness while walking and unclear speech. Doctors initially suspected she could have suffered a stroke or developed a brain tumour.
After seeking treatment at several hospitals, she was diagnosed in 2019 with a parasitic infection in the brain.
Because the parasite was located in an area responsible for important brain functions, surgery was considered highly risky. Luo therefore opted for conservative treatment.
However, her condition continued to deteriorate over the following years, with her symptoms becoming particularly noticeable during summer. She experienced frequent headaches and numbness on the right side of her body.
Her condition worsened further last year, when she struggled to hold chopsticks, while her left leg became numb and weak, making it increasingly difficult for her to walk steadily.
Around the Dragon Boat Festival this year, her speech also became severely affected. She could only say two or three words at a time and was unable to express complete sentences coherently.
Concerned about her increasingly abnormal behaviour and declining condition, her family took her to Guangdong Sanjiu Brain Hospital in mid-August for further treatment.
After reviewing her medical history, imaging scans and cerebrospinal fluid test results, neurosurgeon Dr Lu Ming diagnosed Luo with a sparganum infection and recommended surgery to remove the parasite.
During the operation, the anaesthesiologist carefully adjusted the level of anaesthesia before waking Luo so doctors could communicate with her in real time and monitor her limb movements and neurological functions.
The surgical team then carefully worked towards the site of the parasite and successfully removed a worm measuring about 5cm in length.
Following the operation, Luo’s limb strength improved significantly. She was reportedly able to hold a spoon steadily and eat by herself.
According to her family, Luo had previously worked outdoors and would sometimes drink directly from streams when she became thirsty. Her home also had access to untreated mountain spring water, which she drank without boiling.
The family said she only gradually changed this habit after 2015.
Doctors have warned the public against drinking untreated or potentially contaminated water and advised people to avoid eating undercooked frogs and snakes.
They also urged people never to use raw frog skin or frog meat as a topical treatment, as parasites may enter the body through the skin or mucous membranes.
Proper food hygiene is also important, including keeping raw and cooked food separate during storage and preparation to prevent cross-contamination.
