An Oregon woman who had worms coming out of her eye is being called the first known human case of a parasitic infection spread by flies. Fourteen tiny worms were removed from the left eye of the 26-year-old woman over a 20-day period in August 2016 before her symptoms dissipated. The worms were translucent and each less than half an inch long. Scientists reported the case Monday. The woman was
diagnosed in August 2016 with Thelazia gulosa, a type of eye worm seen in the northern United States and southern Canada – but only in cattle. It is spread by flies that feed on eyeball lubrication. The woman had been horseback riding in Gold Beach, Oregon, in a cattle farming area. After a week of eye irritation, she pulled a worm from her eye. In a study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, researchers said North Americans may be more vulnerable than previously understood to such infections. READ MORE
