A man complaining of stomach pains had a gigantic 59ft long tapeworm removed from his anus.
The 67-year-old patient, from Nong Khai province, Thailand, said he had suffered “flatulence” since the beginning of March and went to a hospital where the doctor took a stool sample for testing.
The results showed it contained 28 infective larvae which the doctors believed came from infected and uncooked beef.
They prescribed medication to the patient and after taking it, the giant parasite oozed out of his anus the next day on March 20.
Footage taken at the Parasitic Disease Research Centre shows two astonished medics pouring water onto the gigantic tapeworm.
It measured just over 18 metres (59ft) in length, making it the longest tapeworm seen in Thailand in the last 50 years.
A spokesman for the Parasitic Disease Research Centre said: “A Taenia saginata bovine tapeworm more than 18 metres long was obtained from a patient whose sample was sent to the centre.
“He was given the deworming medication before bedtime and in the morning this long worm came out of his bottom. It was very big and took us a while to lay it all out on the ground.”
The man was given medication and he was warned to change his eating habits.
Dr Schawanya Rattanapitoon, who led the team, said: “Transmission is caused by eating raw beef. These parasites can live in humans for more than 30 years.”
