Buzz
The human body is truly astonishing. On average, an adult has 640 muscles, 206 bones, 12 major organs, and countless other components, all originating from a tiny, microscopic entity within another person. While the body is capable of creating extraordinary things, including new life, medical professionals sometimes encounter bizarre and unexpected growths. Here are ten shocking examples of unusual discoveries found inside humans.
10. Botfly in the Eye
Swollen eyes can result from various causes: allergies, infections, or even an unfortunate romantic encounter. Though not typically a serious concern, it can be bothersome and disruptive. When a 17-year-old boy from Peru noticed his eye gradually swelling over several weeks, he sought medical attention to uncover the cause.
The swelling was traced to a 3 cm (1.2 inch) botfly larva residing in his eye. Dermatobia hominis, commonly known as the human botfly, is introduced to humans via infected mosquitoes. The larvae thrive and grow inside the body for about eight weeks before emerging. While generally harmless, they can appear almost anywhere on the body, as they rely on body heat for survival. In this case, doctors successfully removed the larva by using basil leaves to lure it out, then extracting it with tweezers. The procedure, performed while the boy was awake, can be viewed here.
9. Aural Myiasis
The idea of a single maggot squirming inside your body is unsettling, but the thought of hundreds doing so is far worse. This was the grim reality for an unnamed man from India who sought help from Dr. Vikram Yadav. The patient reported a persistent buzzing noise in his ear, prompting Dr. Yadav to investigate. Upon examination, he discovered a pulsating white mass, which he diagnosed as a maggot infestation.
The maggots were likely deposited by a fly while the man slept. To remove them, Dr. Yadav first suffocated the larvae, forcing them to move toward the ear's opening. As they emerged, he extracted them individually and administered anti-parasitic medication to prevent further egg hatching. While this case may seem extreme, ear maggots are not rare, particularly among the poor, elderly, or those in weakened health. This condition is so prevalent that it has a specific medical term: aural myiasis.
8. Something on Your Mind
Headaches often stem from harmless causes, such as excessive caffeine intake or prolonged screen time. However, for a 50-year-old man in China, the cause was far more alarming, as you might have already suspected.
An unnamed man in the UK sought medical attention for persistent headaches. After standard tests revealed no issues, an MRI was conducted. While doctors initially detected an anomaly, it took four years to confirm the presence of a tapeworm residing in his brain.
The tapeworm, identified as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, is a rare Asian species rarely found in humans. As it migrated through the man’s brain, it activated various neural regions, causing symptoms like headaches, seizures, unusual odors, and sudden memory flashes. Surgical removal of the tapeworm eliminated all symptoms.
7. Dandy’s Little Girl
Children undergo rapid growth in their early years, but doctors in China were stunned by what they discovered in a 16-month-old patient. The girl, referred to as Ranran, was taken to a Beijing hospital after her parents noticed her constant crying and ear scratching. Her mother had spotted an object in the ear canal but couldn’t extract it.
Upon closer inspection, doctors found a fully-grown dandelion inside the girl’s ear. Her parents recalled a seed falling into her ear four months prior but only sought help when her discomfort became evident. The warm, moist conditions of the ear canal allowed the plant to thrive. Fortunately, doctors removed it without causing lasting harm.
6. Did You Try Nuking It?
In 2014, Hendrik Helmer woke up to a sharp pain in his ear. Being from Australia, his first thought was that a spider had crawled in while he slept. Like any Aussie, he initially tried to brush it off. However, as the pain persisted and intensified over the next few hours, he realized he needed to take action.
First, he attempted to flush the intruder out with water. When that didn’t work, he tried using a vacuum to suck it out, but this only agitated the creature further. With no success, Helmer finally decided to visit the hospital as a last resort.
Upon examination, the doctor noticed something alive in his ear but couldn’t identify it immediately. She poured olive oil into the ear, a common method to expel small creatures. This time, however, the intruder seemed to drown, allowing her to extract it. To Helmer’s surprise, it was a 2 cm (0.79 inch) cockroach causing all the trouble. While Helmer took the incident in stride, some of his friends started sleeping with earplugs as a precaution.
5. (See Appendix)
Removing your appendix is one of the most frequently performed surgeries globally. Its commonality has led to significant advancements, often leaving just a small scar. However, for an Australian tourist in Indonesia, this tiny scar provided an entry point for a spider to crawl inside.
During his stay in Bali, Dylan Maxwell was bitten by an insect. Initially, it seemed minor, but when a red line began spreading from his navel up his chest, he visited a clinic. Doctors prescribed antihistamines for an insect bite and sent him home. Upon returning, further tests revealed a spider had taken residence inside him. Unable to remove it there, Maxwell had to fly back to Australia for the extraction.
4. Shell Shocked
While some find pimple-popping repulsive, others can’t resist the urge. Unless you’re Dr. Pimple Popper, you’re likely only popping your own. When antibiotics failed to clear a bump on her son Paul’s knee, Rachael Franklin decided to pop it herself, ignoring medical advice. Initially, she mistook the small, black object for a rock, only to discover it was a sea snail.
A few weeks earlier, Paul and his family had spent a day at the beach. After a fall, Paul scraped his knee, but his parents dismissed it. It’s believed a snail egg lodged under his bandage and began growing inside him. Snails, being carnivores, have tongues lined with thousands of tiny teeth, allowing them to feed and survive in such conditions.
Paul, just four years old at the time, casually remarked that he found the situation “kind of crazy.” He decided to keep the snail as a pet, naming it Turbo.
3. You’ve Got Something in Your Teeth
While these stories are terrifying, there’s often little you can do to stop something from making a home inside you. Sure, you could use more insect repellent or be cautious about what you eat, but unless you plan to live a paranoid life in isolation, you’re always at risk of becoming a host. However, the 36-year-old Taiwanese man in this case really should have paid more attention to his oral hygiene.
After enduring an excruciating toothache, the unnamed man visited a dentist. The problematic tooth was a decayed molar, with the one below it already missing. This combination of poor dental care allowed a guava seed lodged in his tooth to sprout, causing his pain. After extracting the tooth, the dentist, instead of maintaining professionalism, called in other staff and patients to witness the bizarre discovery, leaving the man embarrassed and fleeing the scene.
2. Czech Your Food
Hana Foldynova, 76, was hospitalized in Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) after her doctor detected blood in her urine. Surgeons, expecting to remove a blood clot, were shocked to discover a nearly 10 cm (4 inch) tapeworm in her kidney and another in her bladder.
The parasite was identified as a giant kidney worm, likely contracted from undercooked fish. While the worm can survive in a host for up to five years, it is fatal if untreated. Sadly, due to her age, Hana couldn’t recover fully after the surgery and passed away shortly afterward.
1. Couples Escape
In 2013, Australian couple Bryan Williams and Ally Vagg were vacationing in Bolivia. Like many tourists, they were relentlessly bitten by mosquitos. Initially dismissing the red marks as bites, they soon realized the marks were moving and noticed small heads emerging from the wounds.
The couple sought medical help but found the doctors “useless.” Eventually, a friend of Bryan’s extracted the first 2.5 cm (1 inch) botfly larva. With no assistance from the doctors, the couple removed seven larvae themselves by taping the wounds to suffocate them. Facing the possibility of 50 larvae per wound, they consulted a specialist and stayed in Bolivia for over a month to ensure they didn’t bring any larvae back to Australia.
