Consuming raw cancer can have serious consequences, Washington University researchers warn on the website. Dangerous parasites have been detected in the lungs of seekers of new flavors.
Rare parasitic infections were diagnosed in six people who ate raw crayfish caught in rivers and streams flowing through the state of Missouri. Previously, only seven similar cases have been reported in North America, where the parasite Paragonimus kellicotti is common in crayfish.
This infection, called paragonimosis, is very rare, so it was surprising to discover so many cases in one medical center in a relatively short time. We are sure that there are people who have not been diagnosed with the infection. So we want to pass this information on, says Dr. Gary Weil, an infectious disease specialist at Washington University in St. Louis.
The symptoms of paragonimosis are fever, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath and severe fatigue. The oval parasites pass from the intestines to the lungs. They can also travel to the brain and cause severe headaches and eye problems. Sometimes they are also visible under the skin as small, sliding nodules.
If the disease is properly diagnosed, its treatment is not complicated. However, as scientists note, it is so rare that many doctors do not take it into account when making a diagnosis. Most of the patients for whom the researchers identified paragonimosis had previously been treated for pneumonia. For months, they wandered around hospitals, trying to unravel the mystery of their mysterious disease, and one of the patients had his gallbladder removed unnecessarily.
If correctly diagnosed, patients are given the oral anti-parasitic drug praziquantel three times a day for two days. Symptoms begin to improve after a few days and usually disappear completely after 10 days. The same happened with six people who were admitted to the Medical Center at the University of Washington. The patient, who temporarily lost his eyesight after parasites entered his brain, also recovered.
In connection with the infection, the Missouri Department of Health has ordered posters to be printed prohibiting the consumption of raw crayfish. Such information was posted in places frequently visited by campers.
Paragonimosis is much more common in East Asia, where several thousand cases are reported annually in people consuming raw or undercooked crabs. The disease is caused there by the parasitic fluke Paragonimus westermani.
While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tests to detect disease caused by P. westermani, these tests are not effective for P. kellicotti. Scientists hope that subsequent analyzes of this parasite will facilitate diagnosis. Until then, the main clue for doctors who suspect a patient’s paragonimosis is the presence of fever, cough and eosinophilia simultaneously (PAP).