A man, from India, left medics baffled after they spotted a worm in his bladder. He later confessed that he had noticed them in his urine before - medics revealed the likely cause was a popular food item
News Monica Charsley News Reporter 16:08, 18 Apr 2025
A confused man who had no idea why he couldn't urinate was left stunned when he realised it was due to a worm living inside of him. The patient, aged 35, from India, baffled medics after they discovered a red worm wriggling around, which measured a metre in length.
Disgusting pictures showed the parasite placed in a bowl after doctors had removed it from the man's bladder. It was still alive after the ordeal. According to the medical team, the species was called Dioctophyma renale, which is better known as a "giant kidney worm".
After discussing the patient's dietary needs, doctors realised that he often tucked into raw fish that he retrieved from a lake near his home. Professionals believe he likely became infected this way.
After discussing the patient's dietary needs, doctors realised that he often tucked into raw fish that he retrieved from a lake near his home. Professionals believe he likely became infected this way.
Experts shared that eating raw fish can cause a medical catastrophe because the animals can transport worm larvae. The man first called for help after he noticed he was suffering from a fever and was struggling to go toilet in 2015.
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Concerned medics noticed he was pale and flagged that he had an elevated heart rate. He was rushed to hospital and handed antibiotics, reports Mail Online.
According to a report published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, the nasty parasite was 11.8in (30cm) long with a diameter of 0.13in (3-4mm). Medics identified it as a male kidney worm.
If the species was female, it could have grown inside him to a total of 3ft. The man was eventually released from hospital after they monitored his urine for three days. Luckily, no other eggs were located.
Strangely enough, the man had confessed that he had spotted worms in his urine before. He was offered medical advice against raw foods.
Human infection of giant kidney worm, medically called dioctophymiasis, is very rare. A review by researchers, conducted in 2019., only found 37 human cases recorded in medical literature, some being infected with as many as 15 worms.
The news comes a year after a patient who came in complaining of a sore throat was found to have a huge blood sucking leech living inside his throat.
The stomach-churning discovery was made at a hospital in Vietnam in March 2024, where the man was found to have the parasite lodged inside his airway, feeding on his blood.
A doctor gave him a medical exam and discovered the source of the man’s discomfort when he found a six-centimetre long leech jammed tight in his throat passageway.
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After questioning the poor patient, stunned medics found that the creature had been living there for more than a month.
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