Ultrasound shows parasites wriggling about in man's stomach

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He was pregnant with parasites.

An Indian man’s condition brought new meaning to the term “stomach bug” after ultrasound photos showed multiple worms squirming about in his belly.

The New Delhi native first knew something was awry after suffering from abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting for a whole day, per a study published in the New England Journal Of Medicine. He checked into a local hospital where doctors found that he harbored elevated white blood cell and hemoglobin levels.

A subsequent ultrasound examination of the patient’s inferior vena cava — a large abdominal vein — revealed a tubular structure that “moved with a curling motion” inside his stomach, per the study. Upon analyzing the man’s stool sample, they identified the culprit as Ascaris lumbricoides, a common species of roundworm known for infiltrating the intestinal tract.

People inadvertently ingest the eggs by putting dirty hands in their mouth or eating vegetables or fruits that have not been carefully cooked, washed or peeled, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Once in their digestive system, the parasite can grow to up a monstrous 14 inches in length, and cause intestinal blockage and stunted growth in children.

Thankfully doctors were able to remedy the patient’s condition by administering him with an anti-parasitic drug called albendazole, after which he was discharged in one day. He told doctors during a followup visit two weeks later that he was feeling well and had passed the worms in his stool. 

Unfortunately this “Alien”-esque ailment is not uncommon. The CDC estimates that 807 million to 1.2 billion people around the world harbor Ascaris lumbricoides, which is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions with poor sanitation and hygiene.

And this isn’t the first time someone has had their stomach colonized by parasitic squatters. In December, doctors removed 759 tapeworm-filled cysts from a woman’s digestive tract after they filled her belly like a ghoulish gumball machine.

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