Four-inch worm hatches in woman's forehead, wriggles to her eyelid

"For anyone enjoying-or at least trying to enjoy-Thanksgiving in America, you can be thankful that these worms are not present in the US; they are exclusive to the "Old World," that is Europe, Africa, and Asia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They're often found in the Mediterranean region, but reports in recent years have noted that they seem to be expanding into new areas of Europe-particularly eastward and northward."

"Researchers attribute the worm's creep to climate change and globalization. But in another report this year of a case in Austria (thought to be acquired while the patient was vacationing in Greece), researchers also raised the speculation that the worms may be adapting to use humans as a true host. Researchers in Serbia suggested this in a 2023 case report, in which an infection led to microfilariae in the patient's blood. The researchers speculated that such cases, considered rare, could be increasing."

"For those who do find a worm noodling through their skin, the outlook is generally good. Treatment includes surgical removal of the worm, which largely takes care of the problem, as well as anti-parasitic or antibiotic drugs to be sure to stamp out the infection or any co-infections. In the woman's case, her symptoms disappeared after doctors pulled the worm from her eyelid."

Dirofilaria repens is endemic to Europe, Africa, and Asia and commonly found in the Mediterranean, with recent reports showing expansion eastward and northward into countries like Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland. Researchers link the spread to climate change and globalization and note case reports suggesting possible adaptation to humans as true hosts, including rare instances of microfilariae in blood. D. repens has not been detected in the United States, though related species such as D. immitis and D. tenuis occasionally infect humans. Human infection typically involves worms migrating under the skin or near the eye; treatment is surgical removal plus antiparasitic or antibiotic therapy.

Read at Ars Technica