There are limitless benefits to leaving the stresses of our daily lives behind and traveling to a new locale. Vacations are good for the soul. They expose us to a different way of living, new foods, new cultures, new perspectives. Unfortunately for one woman, it also exposed her to a new illness.
A 30-year-old woman from New England, whose name has not been released, spent three weeks traveling to Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. When she came home, she had worms in her brain.
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The woman, whose case has been documented in the New England Journal of Medicine, swam in the ocean and ate salads and sushi during her travels, according to the New York Post. By the time she got home, she was fatigued but she chalked it up to jet lag. Then she started feeling a burning sensation in her feet. The feeling traveled up to her legs and intensified with touch.
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At this point, she went to the doctor. She was hospitalized, but her test results came back normal. She was released from the hospital only to return again when the burning traveled up to her arms and was accompanied by a severe headache.
Her roommate brought her to Massachusetts General Hospital after “she awoke [and] thought she needed to pack for vacation and was not redirectable,” Dr. Carlos A. Portales Castillo wrote in the study. He added that the woman was confused for several hours, People reports.
Eventually, doctors diagnosed her with Angiostrongyliasis, New York Post reports. Also known as “rat lungworm,” it is a parasitic infection caused by the Angiostrongylus species of roundworms. As the nickname suggests, the infection is often found in rats. But it can also infect snails and slugs. Humans become infected after consuming raw or undercooked food. Doctors were able to come to this conclusion after performing a lumbar puncture and testing the woman’s spinal fluid. Castillo noticed inflammation in the spine and brain and connected the dots from there after her travel.
In Hawaii, this type of infection is a known issue. There were eight cases of rat lungworm in 2024, affecting seven residents and one tourist, according to New York Post. Doctors believe the patient became sick after eating something contaminated with infected slime from a slug or snail. Humans can also contract the illness from compromised fruits and vegetables, land crabs, and freshwater prawns. In addition to Hawaii, the infection has also been reported in Florida and Texas.
Many of these cases often go undiagnosed or underreported, according to New York Post. There is no cure for this infection. Instead, doctors focus on pain management. For this woman, doctors treated her meningitis (inflammation of the brain and/or spinal cord) with the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisone. She remained in the hospital for six days before she returned home.
*Disclaimer: The advice on LittleThings.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
