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Video of parasitic worm being removed from mans stomach is a living nightmare Credits: Social Media
By Tom Llewellyn

Video of parasitic worm being removed from mans stomach is a living nightmare

By Tom Llewellyn

A video of five alien-like parasitic worms being removed from a mans stomach is going viral after viewers dub the treatment a living nightmare.

If you ever feel lonely or alone in the world: find comfort in the fact that you have billions upon billions of tiny, microscopic friends living in your body at any one time. Unfortunately, one man in China recently found out he had a few more friends than the rest of us when doctors discovered five not-so-little parasitic worms living in his abdomen.

General Election - National Health Service
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 16: A surgeon and his theatre team perform key hole surgery to remove a gallbladder at at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital on March 16, 2010 in Birmingham, England. As the UK gears up for one of the most hotly contested general elections in recent history it is expected that that the economy, immigration, industry, the NHS and education are likely to form the basis of many of the debates. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Video of parasitic worms is a living nightmare&and thats an understatement

When a 70-year-old man in China recently went to his local hospital for surgery to remove a tumor, he got far more than he bargained for when doctors discovered five alien-like parasitic worms living in his abdomen.

This, is from a new report in New England Journal of Medicine which was published online on December 28 alongside the horrific video  which you can watch below:

WARNING: This footage is not for the faint-hearted and if you happen to be eating your lunch as youre reading this, were incredibly sorry for the meal that you might have ruined.

The five parasitic worms were identified as Clonorchis sinensis, commonly known as Chinese liver flukes, which is found predominantly in East Russia and Asia  although cases have been reported in both the US and Europe.

People typically get these liver flukes by eating raw or undercooked fish, with the CDC reporting if left untreated, the worms could live inside of you for up to 30 years!

The man had reportedly been diagnosed with colon cancer in the weeks leading up to the surprise parasite-party and was undergoing treatment called a cholangioscopy at the time of the discovery.

A cholangioscopy is when doctors use a long, thin camera to look at the inside of the biliary tract, a series of organs and vessels that transport bile throughout the body.

Thankfully, this story ended on a happy note with all five parasitic worms being successfully removed from the man, who went on to start a course of chemotherapy treatment for the cancer.

For those who might be a little worried about these parasitic worms in the US, the FDA recommends the following for fish preparation and storage:

  • Cooking – Cook fish adequately (to an internal temperature of at least 145� F [~63� C]).
  • Freezing – At -4�F (-20�C) or below for at least 7 days (total time); or at -31�F (-35�C) or below until solid, and storing at -31�F (-35�C) or below for a least 15 hours; or at -31�F (-35�C) or below until solid and storing at -4�F (-20�C) or below for at least 24 hours.
Clonorchis Sinensis Egg
Photomicrograph of a flatworm (Clonorchis sinensis) egg, a parasitic trematode or a human liver fluke that causes the disease Clonorchiasis, 1979. Image courtesy CDC. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Videos of parasitic worms are arguably one of the most uncomfortable and yet fascinating types of medical videos you can watch online, just be careful about when you watch these horrific images and who might be watching over your shoulder.