Rare filarial worm found in woman's eye in Kerala

A woman in Kerala was diagnosed with a rare type of parasitic infection when a worm was discovered in her left eye. The parasite reportedly belongs to type filarioidea and is found in dog species.

Thalasserry (Kannur): In a rare medical scenario, a 15-centimeter long filarial worm was found in the eye of a 70-year-old woman, during a checkup at Comtrust Eye Hospital in Kannur.

The patient had earlier complained about the discomfort in her left eye and decided to get treatment.

According to the surgeon, Dr. Sreeni, the worm, belonging to typefilarioidea, is usually found among dog species.

A similar case was also reported near Dharmadam, when a resident of the village was diagnosed with a similar condition. The worm present in her eye was reportedly centimeters long.

According to reports, stray dogs (present in the village) carry the parasite and is spread by blood-feeding mosquitoes and black flies. The experts have cited the same explanation for the repeated occurrence of the parasitic infection.