You’ll never eat sashimi the same way again after this news. A 25-year-old woman in Japan went to the doctor and found a worm living in her tonsil. She had gone to St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo for her sore throat. Five days before, she had eaten assorted sashimi.
How Did a Worm End Up in the Woman’s Tonsil?
This news appeared in the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Upon finding the worm, doctors quickly worked to remove it. They used tweezers to pull it out of the woman’s tonsil. Once they got it out, they saw the worm was still alive. It was also 1.5 inches long.
What Was the Worm?
Doctors put the worm through a DNA test. In a CNN report, the worm’s DNA said it was “a fourth-stage larva” of the parasite “Pseudoterranova azaras.” Be careful next time you eat sushi or sashimi. People usually get this roundworm after eating raw or undercooked seafood.
CNN reports over 700 cases have appeared in different countries. It happened in Japan, the Netherlands, and in South America.
Palatine Tonsillar Infection by Pseudoterranova azarasi https://t.co/PyC9898T4T pic.twitter.com/XYJPdHedXZ
— Am J Trop Med Hyg (@AJTMH) July 8, 2020
What Happened to the Woman After the Worm Got Pulled Out?
After doctors removed the worm, the woman reported feeling much better. Her blood tests came back normal. And her symptoms of throat pain and irritation disappeared. Scientists say seafood dishes are the usual cause of these incidents.
Eating underprepared seafood can give you parasites. These parasites cause illnesses like Anisakiasis. Cases of this disease are increasing in Western countries, as reported in a 2017 study.
Symptoms may include “severe upper gut pain, vomiting, and a week-long fever.” This illness struck a healthy 32-year-old man in the United States. Doctors found the worm attached to his intestines. The man told reporters that he had eaten sushi recently.
The next time you’re in a sushi bar, try asking if your sushi is clean and well-prepared. Better safe than sorry!
