A 67-year-old man complained of ‘flatulence’ since the beginning of March and went to a hospital. But what the doctors told him after the analysis of his stool sample shocked him. He has a staggering 59ft long tapeworm removed from his bottom. It is the longest recorded in Thailand for 50 years.
The results showed it contained 28 infective larvae which the doctors believed came from infected and uncooked beef. They gave the patient medicine before the giant parasite came out of his bottom the next day on March 20th.
Several photos taken at the Parasitic Disease Research Centre show two medics pouring water onto a huge chunk of tapeworm.
They unfurled and measured it onto a red plastic mat. The stool sample showed it contained Taenia saginata bovine tapeworm more than 18 meters. Usually known as the beef tapeworm, it is a type of parasite that can live in the human gut for up to 30 years.
“A Taenia saginata bovine tapeworm more than 18 meters long was obtained from a patient whose sample was sent to the center,” said a spokesman for the Parasitic Disease Research Centre.
“He was given the deworming medication before bedtime and in the morning this long worm came out of his bottom. It was very big and took us a while to lay it all out on the ground,” added the spokesman.
Dr. Schawanya Rattanapitoon, who led the team, said: “Transmission is caused by eating raw beef. These parasites can live in humans for more than 30 years. However, currently, they do not survive very long because better medication is available.”
The doctor warned him to change his eating habits. “We have suggested that the patient’s family also have medical tests to find out whether they had parasites as they are also at risk. We warned them not to continue consuming raw meat as that is one of the main causes of having parasites in the body.”
Source: Daily Star
