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Talk about taking an ear.
A Briton contracted a "potentially fatal" bacterial infection in the skull wall after using a cotton swab to clean his ears.
A piece of cotton got stuck in the 31-year-old man's ear canal, rolled up his skull and reached the lining of his brain, causing neurological symptoms such as seizures. He was taken to the emergency room after he collapsed, reports Live Science.
Dr. Alexander Charlton, ear, nose and throat specialist at University Hospital in Coventry, England, who treated the man, told Live Science that human seizures may be related to a bacterial infection causing toxins or brain pressure.
The man underwent a CT scan and was diagnosed with "necrotizing otitis externa", a bacterial infection of the ear canal. He was able to undergo a small surgery during which doctors were able to locate and remove the cotton swab.
But the man had to spend about a week in the hospital and take two months of antibiotics to kill the infection. Fortunately, he had no brain or hearing problems in the long run. The extraordinary case was published in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports.
The lucky patient has now been ordered to swear with cotton swabs for the ears.
"They can only cause problems," said Charlton.
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