As if tapeworms weren't nasty enough, they can now give you cancer too!
- 9 years ago
Colombia — A Colombian man who developed multiple cancerous tumors containing DNA from a parasite has baffled doctors in what has been termed the first known case of a parasite transmitting cancer to a human.
The patient, a 41-year old HIV sufferer with a compromised immune system, first visited his doctor in 2013 complaining of a fever, cough and several months of weight loss.
A CT scan revealed tumors in his lungs, liver and lymph nodes, but upon closer examination doctors found strange cells that multiplied rapidly like human cancer cells but were up to 10 times smaller.
Further tests revealed that the cells in fact contained DNA from the dwarf tapeworm H. nana.
Centers for Disease Control researchers believe that tapeworms growing inside the man, essentially got cancer, which then spread to his body, causing the tumors.
Details of the case were published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
It is unclear whether the tapeworm egg cells exhibited cancer-like properties before they entered the man's body or whether they became cancerous following some kind of interaction between the parasite and the man's body.
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The patient, a 41-year old HIV sufferer with a compromised immune system, first visited his doctor in 2013 complaining of a fever, cough and several months of weight loss.
A CT scan revealed tumors in his lungs, liver and lymph nodes, but upon closer examination doctors found strange cells that multiplied rapidly like human cancer cells but were up to 10 times smaller.
Further tests revealed that the cells in fact contained DNA from the dwarf tapeworm H. nana.
Centers for Disease Control researchers believe that tapeworms growing inside the man, essentially got cancer, which then spread to his body, causing the tumors.
Details of the case were published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
It is unclear whether the tapeworm egg cells exhibited cancer-like properties before they entered the man's body or whether they became cancerous following some kind of interaction between the parasite and the man's body.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter
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Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
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