Doctors identified a black worm, which was 38 millimeters (1.5 inches) long and still moving, inside the woman’s left tonsil, and removed the creature with forceps.
DNA testing on the worm identified it as a fourth-stage larva of “Pseudoterranova azaras,” a parasitic worm, the study revealed, published in July.
The parasite infects the stomach after a host has consumed larvae in raw or undercooked marine fish, according to the study, with more than 700 cases reported in Japan, the North Pacific countries, South America and the Netherlands.
The results of the woman’s blood tests were normal and her symptoms improved rapidly after the worm was removed, the newspaper noted.
Doctors and scientists have documented similar infections in patients who ate seafood dishes.
In one particular case, a previously healthy 32-year-old man was found to have an inflamed intestinal membrane with a tightly attached parasite, its end penetrating the stomach, which was discovered after the patient suffered from severe pain in the upper intestine, vomiting and fever for a week During an interview, the man said he had recently eaten sushi.
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