Doctors in India took out a long pork tapeworm from a man's gut through his mouth, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Taenia solium tapeworm that was found in the man's gut was nearly 2 meters long. This was the longest tapeworm ever seen by Dr. Cyriac Philips, the liver doctor at PVS Memorial Hospital in India who took out the tapeworm from the patient.
Endoscopy Reveals A Long Tapeworm On Man's Intestines
The 48-year-old patient had been experiencing abdominal pains and lethargy for two months before seeking medical attention. The patient exhibited signs of pallor, and lab results showed mild anemia. The doctors performed a colonoscopy test on the patient to reveal a proglottid from a tapeworm. Next, a gastroduodenoscopy was conducted using cameras inserted into the man's digestive system in order to reveal the location of the worm.
The doctors were surprised to find a long tapeworm curled up in the man's small intestine. They used a gastroscope and forceps to reach the tip of the tapeworm and pulled it out through the patient's mouth. The worm ended up measuring 188 centimeters (6.16 feet) long and was identified as Taenia solium, also known as the pork tapeworm.
How Doctors Treat A Taenia Solium Infection
Treatment of Taenia solium infection usually means the administration of antiparasitic medications such as praziquantel or albendazole. In this case, a dose of praziquantel was administered to the patient. The endoscopy and extraction took an hour and 15 minutes, and the patient was sedated during the entire process. One month after the extraction, the patient showed no signs of having additional symptoms.
According to the National Library of Medicine, tapeworms can grow up to a maximum of 11.5 feet. They can live for many years in a human gut without the person being aware of their presence because they do not show symptoms, except for some abdominal pain and discomfort.
Another Type Of Tapeworm Found In Alaskan Salmon
In other tapeworm-related news, Alaskan salmon was found to be carrying a Japanese tapeworm parasite known as the Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense. This particular parasite has been found in 2,000 illnesses in Japan and other Asian countries, affecting people who eat infected fish.
Jayde Ferguson of the Department of Fish and Game inspected 64 wild Alaskan salmon in 2013. Ferguson's group discovered larvae that measured 15 millimeters long in the internal organs of the fish they inspected. At least four types of Pacific salmon are now known to have the Japanese tapeworm infection: the chum salmon, pink salmon, masu salmon, and sockeye salmon.
