Latest news with #CaseReports
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Veterinarian warns against seemingly harmless activity with your dog — after massive parasite was found in woman's pelvis
It's just doggone bad luck. Doctors discovered a cyst twice the size of a tennis ball in the pelvis of a pregnant woman who was rushed to the hospital following months of abdominal pain. 3 One veterinarian has issued a warning over a habit treasured by dog owners over fear of tapeworm infection. Ben Ali et al., Open Journal of Clinical & Medical Case Reports They successfully saved the 26-year-old woman — who was 20 weeks pregnant — before running scans that revealed it was a hydatid cyst, a growth formed by a tapeworm infection that humans most commonly get from interacting with dog poop. While the case study did not specify what caused the cyst, one veterinarian is letting dog owners know a possible culprit could lie in a treasured activity: letting a dog lick your face. 'Ideally, dogs should not lick faces, especially around the mouth or eyes, as a matter of health,' Dr. Aimee Warner, a resident veterinarian at pet insurance company Waggel, told the Daily Mail. 'Humans are not infected by the adult tapeworms within the dog, but instead ingest Echinococcus eggs passed in dog feces by accident. If a dog has fecal soiling on its mouth or coat and then licks someone, there is a potential — albeit rare — for transmission.' To avoid contracting the disease, Warner recommends keeping your dog away from raw meat and livestock, getting the pooch dewormed regularly and maintaining good personal hygiene. 3 'Good pet ownership can be the difference in preventing risks,' she said. Getty Images/iStockphoto 'Good pet ownership can be the difference in preventing risks,' she said. The female patient was from Tunisia, where the researchers note that the Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm is 'very common.' This parasite can lead to severe liver damage in humans and is increasingly being reported in parts of Europe, Canada and the US. 3 To avoid contracting the disease, Warner recommends keeping your dog away from raw meat and livestock, getting the pooch dewormed regularly and maintaining good personal hygiene. Getty Images While rare, cases are reported annually in states like Arizona, New Mexico, California and Utah — and are more prevalent in rural areas, particularly those with dogs and sheep. In 2018, a 35-year-old woman complaining of tingling in her feet was found to have a tapeworm lodged in her spine. In 2020, doctors were stunned to discover that a woman's bulging eyes were caused by a cyst that was filled with baby tapeworms. And in 2024, a New York mother discovered her persistent seizures had been caused by tapeworm eggs in her brain.
The Sun
01-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Girl, 17, ‘frothed at the mouth' and died just three days after catching ‘spring cold' that ‘infected her brain'
A TEENAGE girl tragically died just three days after falling ill with a 'spring cold' which travelled up to - and killed off - parts of her brain. The otherwise healthy 17-year-old from China initially had a fever that lasted for three days, before suddenly developing seizures. Her limbs began convulsing, her eyes rolled back, she foamed at the mouth and became severely confused. She was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors suspected a viral infection. A swab test confirmed Covid-19. As her symptoms got worse, a CT scan showed worrying brain swelling. An MRI later revealed even more devastating news - parts of her brain had died. Doctors treating her suspected acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a rare but severe complication of viral infections. It happens when the virus infects the brain causing brain damage. If not treated quickly, it can be fatal. Despite their efforts to slow down the progression of the condition with antiviral drugs, high-dose steroids, and intensive care, her symptoms got worse. By the time she was transferred to the neurological intensive care unit, her vital signs were rapidly deteriorating, and she was put on a ventilator to help her breathe. Hours later, her brainstem reflexes stopped, her pupils became unresponsive, and she never regained consciousness. Just 29 hours after becoming critically ill, she went into cardiac arrest, which is when the heart stops beating suddenly, and died. Tropical virus turned out ot be brain tumour "Neurological manifestations are increasingly recognised as significant complications of Covid-19 infection," the medical team The First People's Hospital of Changde City, wrote in the American Journal of Case Reports. Covid is now so common - and symptoms often so mild - that many mistake it for a typical seasonal sniffle. But in rare cases, like any virus, it can still lead to unexpected and life-threatening complications, sometimes with little warning. Some patients have developed sudden neurological issues, severe inflammation, or even organ failure - often days after what seemed like a minor infection. Globally, Covid-19 cases have been rising. Figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest new cases increasing by 80 per cent over the past month. Test positivity rates in some regions, like Europe, are exceeding 20 per cent according to Euronews. Meanwhile, recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), as of April 2025, suggests Covid cases are creeping up, with test positivity in hospitals having risen from 4.2 per cent to 4.9 per cent in just two weeks. And while hospital admissions remain low, this new study suggests the virus could have extreme effects, for some people.
