10cm Worm Removed From Chinese Woman's Arm

A woman in southern China, identified only as Wang, recently underwent surgery to remove two live 10cm sparganum parasites from her arm. The painful lump, which had been growing for a year and reached the size of a quail egg, prompted her to seek medical attention at Shenzhen People's Hospital. Doctors confirmed the parasites were sparganum, commonly associated with unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Investigators believe Wang's kitchen practices, such as frequently cooking frogs and using the same chopping board for raw and cold dishes without thorough cleaning, likely led to the infection. Cysts from sparganum parasites may have contaminated her kitchen utensils and subsequently her food. While sparganums do not mature into adults in humans, they migrate through tissues, often causing lumps under the skin.