Côte-d'Or: she lived with a worm in the vertebrae – 16/07/2018

A 35-year-old woman suffering from hydatidosis, a rare disease caused by the accidental ingestion of parasite eggs, was successfully operated in Dijon (Côte-d'Or). A tapeworm had taken shelter in the ninth vertebra of her back and was dangerously compressing her spinal cord.

This is a very rare case reported The New England Journal of Medicine . A 35-year-old woman who was suffering from hydatidosis, a disease caused by the accidental ingestion of parasite eggs, was successfully operated in Dijon (Côte-d'Or). A flat worm (tapeworm) had lodged in one of its vertebrae and was threatening her spinal cord.

Last fall, the young woman was admitted to emergency in Dijon, following intense back pain. She felt "electric shocks" in her legs and had difficulty riding horses for three months. After several examinations, the doctors realized that the patient actually had a flat green (tapeworm) in the 9th vertebra of her back.

The woman had a rare disease caused by the disease. accidental ingestion of parasite eggs, either in contact with animals (dogs, cattle, etc.) or by ingesting food soiled with faeces. Once ingested, these eggs turn into a flat worm. In the case of the young woman, the reasons for which she was affected remain unknown.

"She was at risk of quadriplegia"

The larva that infected the patient then moved into her body, via the vessels blood. The tapeworm ended up staying in an extremely rare place: the 9th vertebra of his back. "The parasite was wrong way … The worm began to tickle the spinal cord, that's why she felt these pains. If nothing had been done, she was likely to be tetraplegic, "said the head of the infectious diseases department at the University Hospital of Dijon.

The young woman then underwent a very complex operation given the affected area. Everything went perfectly and nine months later, the patient has no sequelae. Fortunately for the young woman, no other worm had settled in her body.

A widespread disease prevalent in the tropics

This disease, present throughout the world, is mostly prevalent in the tropics and remains very rare in France. "It's a disease that exists in France, that we know, that we treat. Most of the time, people from endemic areas, abroad, are affected. People do not have to worry, "said Professor Lionel Piroth in Ouest-France .