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A 78-year-old Chinese woman and her 46-year-old son were hospitalized after eating raw centipedes.
While you might expect unpleasant side effects when eating small animals to start, the woman was admitted to Zhujiang Hospital in Guangzhou's Chinese city after experiencing headaches and drowsiness for weeks.
About a month later, his son was admitted to the hospital.
The doctors discovered that the family was suffering the effects of a parasite known as "Angiostrongylus cantonensis", also known as "lung lungworm". So called because it seems to have a preference for the arteries of the lungs of rats.
Disturbingly, it is the first time that the parasite (which can be deadly to humans) has been found in a millipede. It is more commonly found in the interior of some snails and other molluscs
. Millipedes are used in various traditional Chinese medicines, although they are usually ground into powder. To eat them raw is a little less common.
"We do not hear about people eating raw millipedes, but apparently these two patients thought raw centipedes would be good for their health," says Lingli Lu of the hospital Zhujiang. Fortunately, mother and son have been successfully treated, but some rat lung infections can be much more serious.
It can enter the brain and spinal cord, which can lead to meningitis. and on rare occasions, paralysis and death.
Lu and his fellow researchers were able to locate the Guangdong market where centipedes were sold and confirmed that seven of the 20 insects they purchased were positive for the rat lung parasite. 19659015] The centipede crawling on the man in a red T-shirt; Shutterstock ID 754739743; Order Form: – "clbad =" img-align-none size-full wp-image-7782361 "data-rewritten =" true "/>
Dried or crushed centipedes have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of issues, including whooping cough, tetanus and cardiovascular disease . The American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) has pointed to this case as an example of medical scientists identifying and investigating unusual cases that arise through the symptoms of patients.
"Researchers have not only found the source of infection the work of showing the wild centipedes that were in supply to the farmers market could have been a viable source of transmission," said Dr. Regina Rabinovich , president of the ASTMH.
Mother and son were put on special treatment for three weeks and were cured of parasitic infection.
