First recorded human infection of Ophidascaris robertsi, a python parasite
Woman developed lung infection, organ damage, and later brain involvement
Live 8 cm worm discovered during brain surgery
Likely infection linked to contaminated wild greens
Patient recovered after surgery and antiparasitic treatment
In a rare and unprecedented medical case, doctors identified a snake parasite never before seen in humans as the cause of a woman’s prolonged illness, which began as a lung infection and progressed to organ damage and neurological symptoms.
The patient, a 64-year-old woman from New South Wales, Australia, first sought medical attention with abdominal pain, diarrhea, persistent dry cough, fever, and night sweats. Blood tests revealed marked hypereosinophilia, a condition often linked to parasitic infections.
Imaging scans showed lung inflammation consistent with eosinophilic pneumonia, along with lesions in the liver and spleen, pointing to a systemic disease process. Doctors initially treated her with steroids, but her symptoms persisted, raising concerns about an undiagnosed underlying infection.
Despite ongoing treatment, the woman’s condition did not improve. In fact, her eosinophil levels remained elevated even as steroid doses were reduced, highlighting a major diagnostic challenge.
Doctors struggled to identify the cause because no previous human infection with this parasite had ever been documented, leaving them without a clear diagnostic pathway. Standard tests failed to detect the organism, making this a classic case of a rare parasite infection presenting as a common lung disease.
“According to the case report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers including M. Hossain, K. J. Kennedy, and parasitologist D. Spratt documented the infection as the first known human case of Ophidascaris robertsi.
Nearly a year after her initial symptoms, the woman began experiencing neurological issues, including:
Forgetfulness
Poor concentration
Depression
An MRI scan revealed a lesion in the frontal lobe of her brain, prompting urgent neurosurgical evaluation. This marked a turning point, as doctors suspected the disease had spread beyond the lungs and internal organs.
During a biopsy procedure, surgeons made a shocking discovery. Inside the brain lesion, they found a live, moving red worm measuring approximately 8 cm in length.
The parasite was later identified through morphological and molecular analysis as a third-stage larva (L3) of Ophidascaris robertsi, a roundworm belonging to the ascarid family that typically infects carpet pythons.
This marked the first-ever documented human case of this parasite, making it a landmark finding in infectious disease research.
Further investigation revealed key exposure details. The woman:
Lived near a lake region inhabited by carpet pythons
Regularly foraged wild vegetation, including Warrigal greens
Experts believe she accidentally ingested parasite eggs present on contaminated greens, likely introduced into the environment through python feces.
In its natural lifecycle:
Adult worms live in python digestive systems
Eggs are shed in snake feces
Small mammals ingest the eggs
Larvae migrate through tissues
Humans, in this case, became accidental or dead-end hosts, a phenomenon known as a zoonotic infection.
After entering the body, the parasite likely migrated through multiple organs, causing:
Lung inflammation and eosinophilic pneumonia
Liver and spleen lesions
Brain infection leading to memory loss and cognitive decline
This pattern aligns with how parasitic worms in humans can travel through tissues, triggering widespread inflammation and organ damage.
Doctors successfully removed the worm during brain surgery and initiated targeted treatment, including:
Ivermectin for 2 days
Albendazole for 4 weeks
Dexamethasone for 10 weeks to control inflammation
The patient responded well:
Lung and liver abnormalities resolved
Eosinophil counts returned to normal
Neurological symptoms, including memory loss, improved significantly
Her recovery marked a rare success in managing a brain parasite infection that had never been seen in humans before.
Reference:
1. Hossain, M., K. J. Kennedy, H. L. Wilson, D. Spratt, A. Koehler, R. B. Gasser, et al. 2023. “Human Neural Larva Migrans Caused by Ophidascaris robertsi Ascarid.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 29 (9): 1900–1903. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/29/9/23-0351_article
2. National Center for Biotechnology Information. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK599558/
(Rh/ARC)