• Home
  • Mail
  • Tumblr
  • News
  • Sports
  • Finance
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Answers
  • Groups
  • Mobile
  • More
Yahoo
    • Skip to Navigation
    • Skip to Main Content
    • Skip to Related Content
    • Mail
    Lifestyle Home
    Follow Us
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Wellness
    • Pop Culture
    • Shopping
    • News
    • Horoscope
    • Video
    • NowWith

    Thelazia gulosa: US woman becomes first human infected with parasitic eye worm

    Emily Shugerman
    The IndependentFebruary 13, 2018
    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share
    Abby Beckley was diagnosed with a type of eye worm seen in cattle in North America but never before in humans: Facebook/Abby Beckley
    View photos
    Abby Beckley was diagnosed with a type of eye worm seen in cattle in North America but never before in humans: Facebook/Abby Beckley

    A US woman has become the first person ever infected with a rare, tiny eye worm previously only found in cattle, according to a Centres for Disease Control (CDC) report.

    Abby Beckley, a 26-year-old from Oregon, felt an itching sensation in her eye for more than a week before she pulled a half-inch (1.27 cm) long worm out of her own eyeball, researchers said.

    Confused – and worried she might go blind – Ms Beckley went to a local doctor, who fished out two more worms. An ophthalmologist found three more.

    Eventually Ms Beckley wound up at the CDC, where researchers identified the parasite as a member of the Thelazia family. Over the course of 20 days, Ms Beckley and her doctors pulled 14 of the worms out of her eye, according to a report published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

    "They weren't able to remove them all at once. They had to remove them as they became present and visible,” Richard Bradbury, a CDC researcher and lead author of a case report on the event, told CBS.

    He added: "It's just really gross and very psychologically disturbing to see multiple small worms crawling across the surface of your eye.”

    It was only months later that the researchers realised that the worm was a Thelazia gulosa – a type of parasite previously only found in cattle. The worm is spread by flies, which carry the larvae in their mouth parts and drop them into the fleshy part of the eye while feeding. From there, the worms subsist on the host’s eyeball lubrication.

    This photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Thelazia gulosa, a type of eye worm seen in cattle (CDC via AP)
    View photos
    This photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Thelazia gulosa, a type of eye worm seen in cattle (CDC via AP)

    The researchers believe Ms Beckley contracted the worm during the weeks she spent horseback riding in rural south Oregon. The event took place in 2016, but the researchers only published their report this week.

    Other worms from this family have infected humans before, but are still extremely rare. Only 160 cases linked to the species have been reported in humans in Europe and Asia, and only 11 have been reported in the US, according to Mr Bradbury.

    An image released by the CDC shows Ms Beckley's infected eye. The flies feed on the tears that lubricate the eyeball, scientists said (CDC)
    View photos
    An image released by the CDC shows Ms Beckley's infected eye. The flies feed on the tears that lubricate the eyeball, scientists said (CDC)

    Eye worms usually cause irritation but no lasting damage. They can potentially cause corneal scarring and even blindness if left untreated.

    Ms Beckley has experienced no new symptoms since the 14 worms were removed.

    “If this does happen to anyone else, I want them to know this girl went through it, and she’s fine,” she told the Washington Post. “And not to freak out.”

    Related:

    For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share

    What to Read Next

    • Police are warning parents about a '48-hour challenge' that encourages teens to go missing

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Will and Kate Are Apparently the Reason Cressida Bonas Dumped Prince Harry

      Marie Claire
    • The best mattresses for back pain of 2019, according to doctors. (And they're majorly on sale!)

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Indiana officially gets its first national park

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Travis Scott Just Got Stormi the Most Insane Diamond Necklace

      Cosmopolitan
    • Harper Beckham Debuts a New Haircut at Mom Victoria's Fashion Show

      InStyle
    • Khloé Kardashian Is Getting Mom-Shamed for Her Long Nails on Instagram — Again

      Allure
    • 7 Signs Your Partner May Not Be Emotionally Intelligent

      Brides
    • Why Is it "Weird" When a Woman Wants Sex More Than a Man?

      InStyle
    • Here's Where to Buy Kylie Jenner's $65 Valentine's Day Dress

      Marie Claire
    • “Mulled Wine Hair” Is the Coolest New Hair-Color Trend for Winter

      Allure
    • Kelly Clarkson Covered 'Shallow,' and Twitter Is Rightfully Going Wild

      Glamour
    • Governor Gretchen Whitmer Won't Stand For Sexist Comments About What She Wears

      Refinery29
    • Bella Hadid Just Celebrated The Weeknd's Birthday in a Camouflage Bra

      Harper's Bazaar
    • Kylie Jenner Posted a Photo of Herself Holding a Mysterious New Beauty Product

      Allure
    • Liam Hemsworth Reveals He Almost Wasn't Cast in The Last Song Opposite Now-Wife Miley Cyrus

      People

    Trump to veto Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez resolution blocking national emergency unless Republicans lend support

    al: So the article refers to a bill that has NOT been introduced, has NOT been passed by the House, has NOT been sent to the Senate, has NOT been passed by the Senate and I am guessing has not even been written??

    Join the Conversation
    1 / 5

    643

    • Kelly Clarkson Covered “Shallow” and the Internet Lost It

      Vogue
    • The 3-Day Military Diet Says You Can Lose 10 Pounds in One Week. Does It Actually Work?

      Delish
    • Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are Reportedly Planning to Send Their Future Child to an American School

      Elle
    • 3 injured at 'Hamilton' after medical emergency sparks evacuation

      USA TODAY
    • Bella Hadid and The Weeknd Celebrated His Birthday With Matching Camo Outfits

      W
    • Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Aren't Feuding, According to These Photos

      Marie Claire
    • Kim Kardashian posts absolutely adorable photo of baby Chicago

      Yahoo Celebrity
    • Spaghetti with Avocado Pasta Sauce

      PureWow
    • Prince William And Prince Harry Are Reportedly Set To Really, Truly Split Their Royal Household

      Delish
    • Victoria Beckham's Fall 2019 Collection Is Here to Fill the Old Céline Void in Your Heart

      Fashionista
    • Victoria Beckham's Entire Family Showed Up to Support Her at London Fashion Week

      Elle
    • Harper Beckham Had the Cutest Bob Cut With Bangs at Victoria’s LFW Show

      Allure
    • Boy, 11, arrested after refusing to recite 'racist' Pledge of Allegiance

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • What It Means That Harry & Meghan Will "Split Courts" From William & Kate

      Refinery29
    • Genius new 'eggs' let you wash clothes for $10 per year — without detergent

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Kylie & Travis Just Gave Stormi the Most Precious Lightning Bolt Necklace

      Harper's Bazaar