[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] Two live parasites, each measuring up to 10 cm, were found in the arm of a Chinese woman, shocking the public.
According to Chinese media outlets, including Shenzhen TV, a woman surnamed Wang, who lives in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, said a small lump appeared on her arm about a year ago and gradually grew larger. Over time, it swelled to the size of a quail egg and began causing sharp pain, prompting her to visit a hospital.
Tests showed that medical staff found two parasite larvae known as sparganum in Wang's arm. Each measured about 10 cm, and both were successfully removed through surgery.
Medical staff investigated Wang's daily habits to determine how she may have been infected.
She said she usually prepared frogs at home for cooking, and that she had also used the same cutting board, without properly separating it, to prepare uncooked dishes such as cold salads.
The hospital explained that sparganum cysts in the frogs likely contaminated the knife and cutting board, and that the parasites may then have spread to food prepared with those tools before entering her body.
Medical staff said, "Unlike ordinary parasites, sparganum does not grow into adult worms inside the human body and survives by moving through various tissues." They added, "It can move into the subcutaneous tissue, muscles, eyes, chest, brain, and internal organs. The most common symptom is a lump felt under the skin."
They also warned, "A small lapse in the kitchen can become a route for parasite infection," and urged people to "always use separate tools when handling raw and cooked ingredients."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
