Healthcare

Medical Mystery: Parasitic Worm Found in Australian Woman’s Brain Medical Mystery

Published

1 year ago

August 29, 2023

In a startling medical discovery, a 64-year-old Australian woman’s ongoing “mystery illness” was traced back to a parasitic worm that had taken up residence in her brain.

Neurosurgeon Hari Priya Bandi, who was conducting a biopsy at Canberra Hospital in June 2022, stumbled upon a 3-inch wriggling worm within the patient’s skull. The finding left the medical team shocked and intrigued.

According to reports from the Canberra Times newspaper, based in Canberra, Australia, Bandi recalled her initial reaction, stating, “I just thought: ‘What is that? It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s alive and moving.'” The discovery was followed by a mix of curiosity and unease as the team watched the parasite continue its animated movements. The worm’s vigorous activity inside a human brain was a baffling revelation.

The parasitic intruder was subsequently identified as the larva of an Australian native roundworm known as Ophidascaris robertsi. This species of worm is typically found in carpet pythons. Previous to this case the roundworm was not recognized as a parasite affecting humans.

Bandi and infectious diseases physician Sanjaya Senanayake collaborated on an article detailing this extraordinary case, which was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The patient had endured a year of perplexing symptoms leading up to the worm’s discovery. Prior to the brain biopsy, the woman had been admitted to a local hospital in southeast New South Wales with a range of issues including abdominal pain, diarrhea, a persistent dry cough, and night sweats.

As her condition worsened, she was eventually taken to Canberra Hospital after experiencing three months of memory loss and deepening depression. Scans of her brain prompted doctors to perform the biopsy in hopes of uncovering a cancerous growth or an abscess not a parasitic creepy crawler wiggling around in her head.

The revelation of a live parasite within the patient’s brain left the surgical team perplexed. According to reports from Fox News and The Associated Press, Senanayake expressed their collective amazement, stating, “This patient had been treated … for what was a mystery illness that we thought ultimately was an immunological condition because we hadn’t been able to find a parasite before and then out of nowhere, this big lump appeared in the frontal part of her brain.”

Following the successful removal of the worm, the patient’s neuropsychiatric symptoms showed improvement, although some persisted. The woman’s gratitude for finally understanding the cause of her ailments was evident.

Six months after the removal procedure, her condition continued to improve, although ongoing monitoring remained a priority due to the novel nature of the infection.

Scientists delved into the potential source of the worm’s presence in the woman’s brain and discovered her proximity to a habitat for carpet pythons. Even though she had no direct contact with these snakes, researchers theorized that she might have ingested the worms’ eggs inadvertently from native vegetation.

This remarkable case not only underscores the intricate connections between human health and the environment but also highlights the ongoing mysteries that the medical field continues to unravel.

Follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC for more!

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education

Republican Lawmakers Launch Investigation into Withholding of Data on Gender-Related Treatments for Minors

Published

1 month ago

October 25, 2024

Sara Carter Staff

Republican lawmakers are opening an investigation into the withholding of data from a government-funded study on the effects of gender-related medical treatments for minors. This inquiry, as reported by National Review, centers on concerns over the politicization of science and the transparency of taxpayer-funded research.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.), chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, strongly condemned the withholding of study findings. “This is a clear example of the politicization of science at the expense of children,” Rodgers said. “Research funded by taxpayer dollars through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should be publicly disclosed regardless of the results, and Americans deserve access to the truth.” She added that the House Energy and Commerce Committee will investigate the matter.

At the heart of the investigation is a study led by Johanna Olson-Kennedy, medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. The study, which began in 2015 and received $5.7 million in NIH funding, examines the effects of gender-affirming care in adolescents, focusing on 95 minors, averaging 11 years old, who were treated with puberty blockers. Over nine years, the study has reportedly received nearly $10 million in federal funding.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Olson-Kennedy stated that puberty-blocking drugs had not resulted in significant mental health improvements for the children in the study. Instead, she argued that the children were already in good condition prior to the treatments. This claim appears to conflict with a 2020 paper by the same research team, which reported that nearly a quarter of the cohort had endorsed lifetime suicidal ideation prior to receiving puberty blockers.

Olson-Kennedy has been withholding the complete data, citing political concerns. According to The New York Times, she feared that the findings could be “weaponized” to support legal efforts to ban gender-related treatments for minors. She worried that the results might be used in court to argue against the use of puberty blockers.

Republican lawmakers were swift to condemn this action. Morgan Griffith (R., Va.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, criticized the withholding of the data, calling it “irresponsible and inappropriate.” He emphasized that the American public has the right to “follow the science” even when findings contradict certain political agendas.

Representative Diana Harshbarger (R., Tenn.) echoed these sentiments, calling it “outrageous” that taxpayer-funded research could be suppressed to align with a particular political viewpoint. “This is a glaring example of why NIH must be reformed with measures like those initiated by Chair Rodgers to ensure transparency, standards of objectivity, and the removal of conflicts of interest in federal taxpayer-funded scientific and medical research,” she told National Review.

Brett Guthrie (R., Ky.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, emphasized the need for transparency from public health institutions. He expressed frustration that the study’s findings were not being published, stating, “Not publishing the results of taxpayer-funded research in fear of political blowback… fundamentally undermines the very nature of scientific research.” He further called for the immediate suspension of NIH funding for the study until the results are made public.

According to the NIH, Olson-Kennedy’s team received more than $950,000 in government funding for 2023 alone. Robert Aderholt (R., Ala.) highlighted that by receiving nearly $10 million in taxpayer dollars, Olson-Kennedy has an obligation to provide the public with the study’s results. He accused the left of hiding scientific data that doesn’t align with their agenda, adding, “When the science doesn’t back up their point of view, they will gladly try to hide it.”

Olson-Kennedy, who is also the president-elect of the United States Professional Association for Transgender Health, has been a vocal advocate for gender-affirming medical treatments for minors. In a previous study, she co-authored research that claimed chest reconstruction surgery (mastectomy) had a positive effect on transmasculine minors and young adults.