Be careful when traveling to Southeast Asia! "1 parasite" may take hold in the human body for 7 years if eaten. Medical warning: 5 animals must not be touched until they are cooked
After she traveled to Thailand, she contracted a strange disease and did not recover. The examination revealed that the parasite had been living in her body for 7 years.
According to reports, a 28-year-old Australian woman returned home after experiencing stomach pain while traveling in Thailand eight years ago. She originally thought it was just a mild stomach problem, but the symptoms continued to get worse, and the local attending physician could not find the problem until last year. (2022) was confirmed to be suffering from “gnathostomatosis”. At this time, her digestive system had already been completely eroded by parasites.
The woman had to give up her nursing degree within six months of contracting the disease and concentrate on treatment in the hospital. For the past four years, she had to eat through a nasogastric tube. The stress of the disease caused her to suffer from severe depression and chronic pain problems at the same time. The report pointed out that the Australian woman may have eaten uncooked food in Thailand, allowing parasites in the food to enter her body, which led to such serious consequences.
Will eating raw freshwater fish lead to a “bug crisis”? What is “gnathostomatosis”?
Dr. Li Boxian, associate professor-level attending physician at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Medicine at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, stated in the community that eating raw “freshwater fish” may allow parasites to spread throughout the body, especially “gnathostoma”, which may lead to gnathostome disease and cause lung disease. , liver, eyes or severe damage to the central nervous system.
Dr. Li Boxian said that there are 12 species in the genus Gnathostoma, of which at least 5 species can cause Gnathostomiasis in humans, with Gnathostoma spinigerum being the most common. Adult worms of Acanthognathostoma usually parasitize the stomach walls of carnivorous or omnivorous animals such as cats, dogs, and pigs, and form tumor-like lesions, but the eggs are excreted in the feces.
Dr. Li Boxian explained that the eggs of Acanthognathostoma are hatched in fresh water and are called “first-stage larvae”; when they are eaten by copepods such as Daphnia and develop, they are called “second-stage larvae”; infection When eaten by wild frogs, freshwater fish, eels and loaches, the water fleas will develop into “third-stage larvae”. When carnivores or omnivores eat infected frogs, freshwater fish, etc., they will develop into adult worms in their stomach walls and expel eggs to complete their life cycle.
Are parasites harmful to all organs? Doctor: Lungs, liver, eyes, brain may be “no one spared”
It is worth noting that snakes, chickens, ducks and other animals can also cause infection if they eat “larvae-preserving hosts” such as frogs and freshwater fish, but the third-stage larvae will not further develop into adults in the body. Dr. Li Boxian explained that humans mainly eat infected wild frogs, freshwater fish, snakes, chickens, and ducks, or in a few areas, raw snake or frog meat is applied to wounds, which may also cause infection.
However, the third-stage larvae cannot develop into adults in the human body, so they can only move around in the human body as larvae. The larvae most often invade the “subcutaneous tissue” of the human body, mainly on the trunk and upper limbs, causing a “crawling rash” that easily causes red and itchy bumps. Some third-stage larvae are too close to the epidermis and may even “break out” .
In addition, third-stage larvae may also migrate to the lungs, liver, eyes, or central nervous system such as the brain and spinal cord, causing “viscerognathostomatosis” or “larvae migrans”. In addition to fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting 2 weeks after the onset of the disease, symptoms may vary depending on the site of infection. It may also cause cough, chest pain, eosinophilic meningitis, encephalomyelitis, or blindness, etc.
Be careful when traveling to Southeast Asia during your annual vacation! Medical warning: Never eat 5 animals that are not cooked properly
Dr. Li Boxian said that the areas where gnathostomiasis most commonly occurs are Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and South America and Mexico. The most common diagnostic method is the detection of larvae in sections of the lesion; in addition, serum antibody diagnosis can also help detect larvae, but it is not detectable by routine medical institutions.
Dr. Li Boxian said that according to the US CDC website, the main treatment for epidermognathostoma is “surgical removal”, but if it occurs in the internal organs, you can try “anthelmintic” treatment. The parasites can be killed by heating at high temperatures. , or processed at extremely low temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius for several hours. As for methods such as lemon, vinegar, onions, garlic or pickling, they cannot kill parasites.
With the recent trend of traveling abroad during the annual vacation, Dr. Li Boxian reminds the public that if traveling to Southeast Asia, the safest way to prevent it is to avoid eating raw or undercooked freshwater fish, frogs, snakes, chickens, and ducks.
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