A British dog has been infected with blood-sucking worms that can grow up to 5 inches and jump to humans, where they can cause blindness.
The case, detailed in a Government report, is the first in the UK and appears to relate to the animal’s owner feeding it a trendy raw food diet.
The raw nature of meat in raw food diets means that supplies are at risk of becoming infected with parasites or pathogens.
While cases of the parasite, called Linguatula serrata, have already been recorded in Great Britain, they all occurred in canines imported to the United Kingdom from countries where the infection is more common.
On the contrary, the most recent case was that of a dog that had never left Great Britain.
Humans can become infected with worms by coming into contact with the saliva and mucus from the feces of an infected pet.
From there, the parasites can attach to the back of the throat or potentially move into the intestine and penetrate other tissues, causing a host of potential problems such as breathing difficulties, agonizing pain and vision loss.
In rare cases, worms have even been found in people’s eyes.
A British dog has been stricken with an infection of nasty blood-sucking “tongue worms” that can jump to humans. In the photo the Linguatula serrata parasite
Experts could not determine exactly how the dog became infected, nor did they detail exactly where in the country this case occurred.
Infection in dogs can occur when they consume the feces of an infected animal that is abundant with eggs incubated by the worms.
It can also occur if a dog eats the meat of an infected animal.
People can become infected with worms by eating undercooked meat, but also through food accidentally contaminated with infected feces, as well as the saliva and mucus of pets.
In humans, juvenile worms may adhere to the surface of the throat or climb up from the stomach, called linguatulosis.
Symptoms of this include excess mucus, irritation, bleeding in the throat, frequent sneezing, and breathing difficulties.
Human infection can also cause a condition called visceral pentastomiasis, in which ingested worm eggs hatch in the intestine and penetrate other tissues such as the lymph nodes, liver, lungs and eyes of the body.
The symptoms of this condition vary depending on where the worm larvae, called “nymphs,” end up.
The case, detailed in a government report, is the first in the UK and appears to relate to the dog’s owner feeding it a fad raw food diet; Britons had previously been warned that such diets could pose a public health risk. stock image
They include abdominal pain, chronic cough and night sweats, as well as eye pain and loss of vision if the nymphs hatch in a person’s eye.
However, in many infections no symptoms develop and the presence of the worms is only revealed during an unrelated medical test or even an autopsy.
Doctors usually only treat patients with visceral pentastomiasis if the parasites cause symptoms; Otherwise, the nymphs die approximately two years after hatching.
While cases have been reported in all ages, children are generally considered to be more vulnerable to infection due to a more carefree attitude toward hygiene with family pets.
Infection in pets is usually avoided by ensuring that the meat given to them is frozen or cooked properly.
In the new case, which was recorded in March last year, UK officials said the risk of human infection was reduced by treating the dog and advising the owner to stop feeding it raw food.
Despite being called tongue worms, Linguatula serrata does not actually infect the tongue, but instead attaches to the tissue located further down the throat.
Instead, its common name refers to how the creature’s physical form resembles a “tongue.”
They are not technically “worms” either. The creatures are actually a strange relative of insects, spiders and crustaceans.