Four-inch worm hatches in woman’s forehead, wriggles to her eyelid
The parasite, typically found in dogs, was visibly moving under her skin.
TL;DR
- An 11 cm living round worm was removed from a woman's left eyelid in Romania.
- The worm was identified as Dirofilaria repens, a parasite typically found in dogs and spread by mosquitoes.
- D. repens is exclusive to Europe, Africa, and Asia, not currently found in the US.
- Climate change and globalization are cited as reasons for the worm's expanding range.
- There is speculation that the worms may be adapting to use humans as a true host.
- Treatment involves surgical removal of the worm and anti-parasitic or antibiotic drugs.