Posted on 07/01/2012 2:06:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
When Dr V. Seetharaman examined 75-year-old patient P.K. Krishnamurthy at Mumbai's Fortis Hospital this week, the eye expert was shocked by the highly unusual sight of the writhing parasite and had to operate speedily to remove it before serious damage was caused.
"It was wriggling there under the conjunctiva," Seetharaman told AFP, referring to the thin membrane lining the eye. "It was the first time in my career of 30 years that I had seen such a case."
Krishnamurthy had been suffering for more than two weeks with redness and irritation before the doctor pin-pointed the threadlike creature under a microscope on Wednesday.
"He was also confused and very much disturbed," said Seetharaman.
The specialist removed the five-inch worm by making a small opening in the conjunctiva -- a 15-minute operation that was observed by the patient's horrified wife, Saraswati.
"It just kept moving and jumping; it was scary for a bit," she told the Mumbai Mirror.
The patient was relieved of his symptoms while the worm, which was alive for another 30 minutes after surgery, was sent to the hospital's microbiologists to be identified.
Seetharaman had previously only heard of worms of about two to three centimeters being removed. "Probably this is a record," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at india.nydailynews.com ...
If Dr V. Seetharaman subscribed to the TWIP (This Week in Parasitism) podcast, he’d already be familiar with this parasite ;-)
I’m an engineer, not an MD or natural science guy, but I enjoy listening to TWIP because Parasitism is relatively easy for the layman to follow since most parasites have live cycles that are already familiar, so the terminology is also familiar. Unlike virology or microbiology, for example, which require a lot of specialized terminology to describe what’s happening.
Yo, I tell you what, them there eye worms they make for some good fishin yo.
They get all the fun stuff in India.
You go first........
Maybe it was an “ear worm” that migrated, and left the music behind..........snicker.
Well, the good news is that if he felt like going fishing, he wouldn’t have to stop at the store for bait.
That’s not so impressive. The Supreme Court recently pulled a trillion dollar turd out of a 2,000 page document.
O.M.G.
I wonder if it tastes like chicken?
Very very unsual for botfly to lay and hatch on humans, at least in SW USA.
The problem with India is the filth. Met a lady on a flight back from Singapore who’s husband was a big shot with P&G in India who had horror stories about how even the water for showering was dangerous to get on you.
No doubt India has many beautiful places and the people are not hostile, but no thanks.
Australia may be a bit dangerous, but it ain’t unhealthy.
Brings a new meaning to “sacred cow”. And obviously those funeral pyres could use some additional wood.
You could stuff and mount the worm but it would probably be an eye sore.
It would have been worse if it had been only half a worm.
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