Worms With Teeth Attack Aussie Couple
Couple Being Eaten Alive By Parasites, But Now Recovering
An Australian couple is recovering after discovering they were being eaten alive by tiny worms with teeth.The duo discovered the culprits after weeks of chronic illness, the Herald Sun reported.
They first became ill after cooking fish they had caught while camping in Western Australia, and ingesting the gnathostomiasis larvae.It is the first time humans have been infected by the parasite in Australia.
The worms are less than 1 inch long, have sharp teeth and can work their way around the body until it dies or is killed by the immune system.
"They move under the skin and cause itchy lumps that can make you feel sick and it can be very hard to diagnose," Dr. Andrew Fuller told the Herald Sun. "They eat your tissues."
The 52-year-old man told doctors he could even feel movement under his skin.A course of antibiotics killed the parasite and the couple have recovered.
