U.S. woman becomes 1st person to have eye worms previously seen only in cattle

Reuters

An adult female eye worm immediately after removal from the eye appears in a handout photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. (CDC/Handout via Reuters)


An Oregon woman has become the first person worldwide known to have had an eye infestation by a tiny worm species previously seen only in cattle that is spread by flies that feed on eyeball lubrication, U.S. government researchers said on Monday.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists said 14 translucent parasitic worms of the species Thelazia gulosa, all less than 1.27 centimetres long, were extracted from the 26-year-old woman's eye over a 20-day period before her symptoms dissipated.
The woman, Abby Beckley, was diagnosed in August 2016.

This species of Thelazia worm was previously seen in cattle throughout the northern United States and southern Canada, the researchers reported in a study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. They said the study indicates that North Americans may be more vulnerable than previously understood to such infections....http://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4532481