Common Name(s):
Eel Worm Disease
Alternative Names & Classifications:
Gnathostoma Spinigerum Infection (CLINICAL), Gnathostomiasis (CLINICAL)
Description
Because humans are dead-end hosts, the ingested larvae cannot mature into adults in the gut and instead blindly migrate through various subcutaneous tissues and visceral organs. The worm uses a cephalic bulb armed with rows of sharp hooks to tear through tissue, leaving a trail of intense, painful hemorrhagic inflammation. It is endemic to Southeast Asia but increasingly seen globally due to culinary trends involving raw aquatic foods.