Doctors Found a Parasite Eating a Man’s Liver. Then Traced How He Got It

In a peculiar case from northern Italy, a 41-year-old truck driver was found to have two large abscesses eating away at his liver. The cause of this unusual condition was traced back to a parasite typically associated with poor sanitation in tropical regions. Dr. Ayesha Bryant, a clinical adviser, noted that what makes this case significant is how the parasite got into the man's body, which differs from typical transmission routes.

The man had initially been treated for a body lice infestation and later developed severe diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fevers, weight loss, and swelling of the lips and mouth. Doctors discovered that he had contracted a sexual infection of Borrelia, causing Lyme disease, and a parasitic infection of Entamoeba histolytica, which leads to amoebiasis.

The parasite was most likely transmitted sexually, alongside the louse-borne Borrelia infection. The man was successfully treated with antibiotics, and his liver lesions nearly resolved six months later. The authors of the case report emphasize the importance of considering sexual transmission when evaluating patients with unexplained gastrointestinal illness, as diseases once confined to the tropics are increasingly appearing in wealthier countries due to migration, travel, and sexual networks.