Girl vomits live worms for a month and turns out to be a medical riddle

Writing.- A girl from the Chinese city of Yangzhou spent several weeks vomiting live worms. After seeking medical attention in vain, a pediatric team and multidisciplinary experts found the reason for the case, local media reported this week.

According to her parents, the 8-year-old girl had been vomiting these insects repeatedly for more than a month: sometimes one or two, other times three or five. Although she was examined by several specialists, and had been prescribed antihelminthics, the symptoms did not cease. Subsequently, the father went to the Yangzhou Women's and Children's Hospital with a glass containing a sample of the live worms, approximately one centimeter long.

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After a preliminary diagnosis of parasitic infection, the case was referred to the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where they confirmed that the insects were larvae of a dipteran commonly called 'drain fly', 'moth fly' or 'bathroom fly'. These usually live in places with slow flow or prolonged storage of water, such as bathtubs, sinks, toilets and on the inner walls of pipes. Xu Yuhui, head of the blood parasitic diseases section of the CDC, explained that the girl may have accidentally ingested the larvae by coming into contact with contaminated water while brushing her teeth or flushing the toilet. Her family recalled that these small moths were often observed flying in the house's bathroom.