Repeated Visits to a Woman With Suspected Worms Discharged From the Urethra—A Case Study
A 58-year-old female presented with a 6-month history of recurrent "worms" found in her toilet, which she suspected originated from her urinary tract. Physical examination was unremarkable. Laboratory analysis revealed motile, blood-red worm-like organisms measuring 25-35 mm in length, initially suspected to be <i>Dioctophyma renale</i> larvae. However, parasitic screening tests were negative, and microscopic examination identified setae characteristic of oligochaetes. Further investigation revealed these organisms only appeared in the first-floor toilet. Subsequent sterile urine collection showed no recurrence, confirming environmental earthworm contamination rather than true parasitosis. This case highlights the importance of morphological evaluation and proper specimen collection in differentiating parasitic infections from environmental contaminants.
Authors
- Shuqian Cai
- Jian Xue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6575-2295)
- Yifei Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8495-5856)
- Xiaoping Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7541-3801)
Institutions
- Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Jinhua Central Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Clinical Case Reports
- Published
- 2025-10-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.71071
- Primary Topic
- Paleopathology and ancient diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00