A seemingly innocent cat scratch leaves a veterinary volunteer with a raised and growing wound on her chest. When it begins to move, she's horrified that something could be growing inside.
A seemingly innocent cat scratch leaves a veterinary volunteer with a raised and growing wound on her chest. When it begins to move, she's horrified that something could be growing inside.
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Find episode transcripts here: https://monsters-inside-me.simplecast.com/episodes/flesh-eaters
MUSIC IN HOST VO A sightseeing trip turns deadly when a college student is attacked by a flesh eating killer. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC The ulcer is six to seven centimeters in diameter. I’m pretty freaked out. HOST VO A chance encounter with a house pet leaves a young woman with a monster crawling under her skin. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC The worm was the size of an actual gummy worm under my skin. I’m in shock. HOST VO And an exotic meal leaves a retired couple plagued by a vicious attacker. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC It was really scary that I had this thing in me. HOST VO Three very different parasites, all with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are ravenous. They are flesh eaters. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Worms invisible to the human eye, insects thirsty for blood, microscopic amoeba, they might look harmless, but these are some of nature’s deadliest creatures. They can hijack our bodies, disable our immune systems. They are parasites. But, to those infected they are the Monsters Inside Me. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Parasites are organisms that survive by living in or off other living creatures called hosts. DAN RISKIN VO/OC Most parasites just specialize to exploit a specific organ or system inside the host body. Some feed inside the intestines and others feed directly on organs like the brain or the eyes. But some of the most terrifying parasites get their nutrients from the body’s largest organ, the skin. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO And when these parasites attack, they can eat their hosts alive as one college student is about to find out. February, 2009, Austin, Texas. 21 year old Aaron Motsinger is studying for his undergraduate degree. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I’m currently a student at the University of Texas at Austin. I’m studying Public Relations. HOST VO Aaron is a hard working student. And in his free time he has an active social life. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I like getting away from campus. I do like to go out with my buddies. We do that regularly. I can’t lie about that. HOST VO But, Aaron is about to take a crash course in parasitic infection. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO One afternoon in early February, Aaron is relaxing at home after a busy week. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I’m in the living room, just casually kicking back and watching TV. And I look down and I kind of see this, this red bump right around my elbow area. It really just looked like a zit. HOST VO Like any young person, Aaron has had the occasional breakout before. But, this seems different. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I’m thinking to myself, that’s a, that’s a strange place to get a zit. But, I decide not really to do anything. At that point, it doesn’t seem very threatening. |
HOST VO Aaron quickly forgets about the strange spot until two weeks later. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I’m getting into bed one night and I see that the bump is getting bigger and bigger. HOST VO The bump has more than doubled in size and has started to scab over. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I didn’t agitate it in any way that I knew. So, I did think it was a little bit strange that the scab was forming. Still, I kind of just think that it’s a zit that needs to pop at that point. I definitely feel like I should leave the bump alone. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO But, during a lecture the next morning, the strange bump becomes impossible to ignore. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I’m sitting in the class paying attention to whatever my professor was saying and I look down at my arm. The small scab on top of the bump has broken open. There’s a clearish, yellowish, liquid substance that starts trickling out of it and actually onto my desk. I’m admittedly pretty freaked out. HOST VO Aaron discreetly tries to clean up the leaking wound. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I kind of just tried to control it with a piece of paper that I think I just had sitting in my book bag. Unfortunately, regular notebook paper is not very absorbent, kind of just smeared it around on my arm rather than, than getting it off. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Concerned that his classmates are starting to notice his odd behavior, Aaron gets up to leave. AARON MOTSINGER OC/VO I immediately excuse myself from the class and make my way to the bathroom so that I can get some paper towels to at least wipe it off. HOST VO In the bathroom, Aaron takes a closer look at the fluid that is leaking from his arm. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC It doesn’t really look like blood. It doesn’t even really look like normal pus. HOST VO Then, Aaron notices something even more disturbing. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC It kind of has a rank odor, sewer water. That’s honestly what it smelled like. And that, I think, is the first moment that I’m really scared. |
HOST VO Aaron rushes home and dresses the leaking wound. The next day, he makes an appointment to see a doctor at the university’s medical center. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC But, when I go in to see the general medicine doctor, I take off the Band-Aid and let him get as good of a look at it as he can. HOST VO But, the wound is not like anything the doctor has ever seen before. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC The general medicine physician wasn’t very helpful at all. He basically told me, I really can’t say anything conclusive and I’m gonna have to send you to a specialist. |
HOST VO Aaron schedules an appointment with a dermatologist for the following week. But, just two days later, when Aaron pulls off his Band-Aid, he makes a frightening discovery. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC The central crusty, scab portion expanded to a few centimeters in diameter. HOST VO The wound is now the size of a half dollar and is still oozing liquid. AARON MOTSINGER OC/OC The liquid kind of oozes out from under the Band-Aids. Occasionally it gets on furniture or things that I’m sitting or standing around. You know, it’s just kind of annoying and disgusting to have to deal with. HOST VO By the end of the week, the wound has grown to the size of a hockey puck. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC It was pretty damn gross. The longer things went on without it showing signs of healing, the more concerned I get. |
HOST VO The following day, Aaron finally meets with dermatologist, Dr. Jason Reichenberg. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC When I first see Aaron’s wound, it’s a few inches across in either direction. He’s telling me that this lesion is slowly growing and it’s draining. Based on the presentation of a sore, the list of possibilities is, is pretty long. HOST VO But, one possibility does stand out as a likely culprit. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC I’m thinking that this is a staph infection. |
HOST VO A staph infection is caused when bacteria from the Staphylococcus Family invade the body, often through a scratch on the skin. The bacteria release toxins that can destroy the body’s skin cells, creating a massive, pus-filled wound. Staph infections grow rapidly and can cause devastating tissue damage. Staph infections are highly contagious and very common in high traffic, public areas with poor sanitation, like college campus locker rooms. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC So the worst case scenario is that a staph infection can end up in the bloodstream. The patient ends up with a fever and in the hospital. And that’s how people can die from staph infections. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I’ve had a friend or two that’s had to deal with staph. And I’m really nervous about this. I’m really stressed out. |
HOST VO To confirm the diagnosis, Dr. Reichenberg must take a sample of Aaron’s skin. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC He decides that the best action is to perform a, a punch biopsy so he can get some more conclusive results. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC I take a small punch tool. It looks like a cookie cutter in a circle shape. And I basically push it into the skin in a spinning motion. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC You’re seeing a cookie cutter take part of your skin and, and tissue out of your body. It makes me a little bit queasy. HOST VO Dr. Reichenberg sends the skin sample to the lab for testing. But, it could take two weeks for the results to come back. In the meantime, Dr. Reichenberg prescribes an antibiotic lotion to treat the infection. But, one week later, Aaron begins to suspect that the gaping wound on his arm might not be the result of a staph infection, but something much more sinister. AARON MOTSINGER OC/VO The lesion itself hasn’t been affected by the antibiotic. The ulcer is reaching six to seven centimeters in diameter, which is pretty impossible to hide, even with a large Band-Aid. I was freaking out pretty bad. |
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HOST VO College student Aaron Motsinger has developed a mysterious pus-filled lesion on his arm. His doctor thinks it is a staph infection and prescribes a course of antibiotics. But, as the wound continues to grow, Aaron becomes concerned that he may be suffering from something far more sinister than a simple bacterial infection. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I put Band-Aids on it daily to try to keep the leaking under control. But, there are times when the liquid kind of oozes out from under the Band-Aids. Occasionally you get some furniture or things that I’m sitting or standing around. HOST VO The oozing wound is starting to have an effect on Aaron’s behavior. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC And with something that gross, it’s not something that I bring out on a daily basis and show people. I lack the desire to be around a lot of my friends and just to be my usual fun, social self. |
HOST VO But, dermatologist Dr. Jason Reichenberg has news for Aaron. The results from the pathology lab are back. DR. JASON REICHENBERG OC As soon as I got the results from my pathologist, I immediately called Aaron back. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC He’s very calm, very collected. And then goes on to explain to me that the lesion is, in fact, not a staph infection, but something much more rare. It’s a disease that very few people in the U.S. encounter called leishmaniasis. |
HOST VO Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a parasite called leishmania. DAN RISKIN OC Leishmania is a single-celled protozoan parasite that gains entry to its host through the skin. |
HOST VO When leishmania parasites enter the skin, the body sends immune cells to attack them. But, the parasites fight back by hijacking the immune cells, feeding off them, and then reproducing inside them. As the parasites multiply, the tissue around the infected area dies turning into a gaping, leaking wound, which can permanently disfigure the host. But, leishmaniasis doesn’t just affect the skin. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC It can start as a sore, but actually can spread locally on the skin or actually could spread to other parts of the body, such as the mouth, the throat, or the lungs. |
HOST VO If it spreads to the face, the parasite can cause a fatal disease called mucosal leishmaniasis where the parasite literally eats the host’s face off. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC Patients with leishmaniasis, well they can actually die from being obstructed in their mouth or their throat and not being able to breathe. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC Didn’t know anything about the parasite. My initial reaction is I’m obviously freaking out pretty bad. |
HOST VO But, how did Aaron contract such a vicious parasite? The parasite’s life cycle holds the answer. Leishmaniasis is transmitted by the bite of a tiny insect called a sand fly. The leishmania parasites mature in the gut of an infected sand fly. When the sand fly bites a human it regurgitates the parasites into the skin. There the parasites feed on the host’s white blood cells, reproducing, and spreading to new areas of the skin. When an uninfected sand fly bites the infected human host, the cycle begins again. |
DAN RISKIN OC/VO Leishmaniasis is common in places like Asia, Latin America, and southern Europe. But, cases in the U.S. are extremely rare. AARON MOTSINGER OC/VO Dr. Reichenberg asks me if I had ever been outside the U.S. within the last year or so. I told him that I had been to South America for about two and a half weeks and visited the country of Peru, but also its neighbor, Bolivia. |
HOST VO This is the clue Dr. Reichenberg needs. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC Dr. Reichenberg tells me that I’ve contracted a parasite via a specific species of sand fly found in the countries that I visited in South America. HOST VO With the diagnosis in hand, Dr. Reichenberg must begin treatment immediately. If the parasite spreads to Aaron’s face, he could die. DR. JASON REICHENBERG OC/VO By the time I saw him, the ulcer had grown to about five times the size it was when I had first seen him. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I started to wonder how much the parasite itself is growing, how much it’s multiplying, and if it’s picking up any momentum. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC So I’m very worried that this could have been a much more serious condition than we had anticipated. |
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HOST VO College student, Aaron Motsinger has been infected with the deadly flesh eating parasite leishmania. The parasite has created a huge pus-filled wound on his arm. If the parasite spreads to his face, it could kill him. DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC We were eager to get him started on treatment because we were trying to spare him from more scarring and trying to prevent the parasites from going anywhere else in his body. Patients can actually die from being obstructed in their mouth or their throat and not being able to breathe. |
HOST VO Aaron is placed on an IV drip that floods his body with powerful antibiotics. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC Dr. Reichenberg told me that the parasite wasn’t going to go down without a pretty harsh battle. |
HOST VO But, after just one week, Aaron starts to notice an improvement. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC The spread outwards is slowing down drastically and also new skin is starting to reform around those edges and actually close in a lot of the raw area. DR. JASON REICHENBERG OC Within a month, the ulcer is almost completely flat. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I was, obviously, ecstatic when the day came that it did completely close up and heal over. |
HOST VO Today, Aaron is parasite free. But, he’s left with a permanent reminder of his gruesome ordeal. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC I currently have a massive scar on my arm. I’m not embarrassed about it. And when I tell people the actual story behind the scar they hardly ever believe me and I think it probably ends up being a better story than I ever could have fabricated. |
HOST VO To prevent infection, travelers to Asia, South America, and southern Europe should avoid being bitten by sand flies by using a deep based insect repellent. DAN RISKIN VO/OC Some microscopic parasites like leishmania need a vector like the sand fly in order to break through the skin. But, other parasites can break through the skin themselves. HOST VO And as soon as they are inside their host, they feed voraciously on human flesh as one animal lover is about to find out. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO October, 1994, Houston, Texas. Missy and Rich Allen are newlywed graduate students. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I am finishing my Masters degree in Art History. My husband’s in medical school working roughly a hundred hours a week. RICH ALLEN VO/OC Every day life at this time is very, very hectic and we are not able to do all that much other than eat and sleep and enjoy each other’s company. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Despite her busy schedule, Missy finds time to work at a local animal shelter. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC Volunteering at the shelter is a break from writing my thesis. I get to spend time with dogs and I could fulfill a need to be around them. HOST VO But Missy is about to enter the terrifying world… MUSIC OUT …of parasitic infection. |
MUSIC IN HOST VO One night at the shelter, Missy is asked to assist with a litter of kittens. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC This is an unusual request for me because I have a severe allergy to cats. The veterinarians are aware of this. However, they really need help. |
HOST VO It’s a decision that Missy will soon regret. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I go into the feline area. I pick a very small, but obviously very sick, black kitten that had recently been rescued. I pick him up. I’m pulling him to my chest. He sticks out a claw and he stabs me right in my chest. HOST VO The cat’s claw punctures the skin on Missy’s breast leaving a small wound. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I look down. I see it, but it isn’t bleeding much. So I don’t worry abut it too much. I gently pull him back and then I put him back in his cage. HOST VO Missy dabs the small puncture wound with a paper towel and forgets about it. |
HOST VO But, later that night, Missy is relaxing in front of the TV when the wound starts to itch. MISSY ALLEN OC/VO I’m scratching the spot where the kitten stabbed me. But, I assume it’s related to my cat allergies so I didn’t really worry about it very much. |
HOST VO But, two days later when Missy takes a look at the puncture wound on her breast, she makes a startling discovery. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC It’s gone from a small, localized pin prick to a red angry sight that’s about the size of a quarter. HOST VO And the itch has gotten even worse. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC The itching is similar to about a dozen mosquito bites. I find that it’s just too itchy to leave alone. I’ve never had an allergic reaction last more than one day. I’m more concerned now. I’m hoping it will just go away. |
HOST VO Over the weekend, Missy tries her best to ignore the relentless itch. But, on Monday morning, she makes an alarming discovery. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC As I get out of the shower I can see my reflection in the mirror. And there is very definitely a serpentine shape under my skin. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Missy can’t believe what she’s seeing. MISSY ALLEN OC I’m concerned that there may be something growing under my skin. HOST VO Missy calls Rich into the bathroom to take a look at the bizarre shape. RICH ALLEN VO/OC And then at first I thought there’s no way. And then actually when I felt over the area it almost felt as if there was something under it. HOST VO Even after three years of medical school, Rich is baffled. RICH ALLEN VO/OC MISSY ALLEN VO/OC When I realize how concerned Rich is, I am now very concerned myself. RICH ALLEN VO/OC I think she needs to seek medical attention other than myself. And at this point I think, well, it’s a skin problem. Let’s start off with a dermatologist. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Missy immediately calls a dermatologist to make an appointment. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC The dermatologist was very busy. This was not considered an emergency situation. Therefore, I was put off for a week. |
HOST VO Dismayed, Missy tries to get through the school week without thinking about the mysterious growth on her breast. But by the middle of the week, she’s unable to think about anything else. MISSY ALLEN OC/VO I am doing research. I am writing. But, I’m very distracted. It became very obvious that it was growing day by day and it became pretty much impossible to ignore. |
HOST VO Then, the night before her appointment with the dermatologist, Missy is getting ready for bed when she presses her finger to the shape on her breast. MISSY ALLEN OC It wiggled slightly. For the first time I realize I can make it move. HOST VO The strange shape is now moving on its own. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I’m in shock. I recognize, at this point, that I definitely do have a foreign body that is very much alive living under my skin. I have a pretty serious problem. |
HOST VO And now Inside The Monster. Worldwide, how many people contract cutaneous leishmaniasis each year? A) 65, B) 5,000, C) 1.5 million. |
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HOST VO Each year, the number of people that contract leishmaniasis worldwide is C) 1.5 million. |
HOST VO When Missy Allen was scratch by a cat, she thought the small puncture wound on her breast would heal on its own. But instead, the wound has grown into a two inch long, itchy wrench shape that seems to be moving under her skin. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I’m in shock. I recognize that I definitely do have a foreign body that is very much alive living under my skin. I have a pretty serious problem. |
HOST VO Missy and her husband, Rich, make an appointment to see a dermatologist. When the doctor examines the growth on Missy’s chest, he comes to a shocking conclusion. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC He definitely sees a worm growing underneath the side of where the puncture wound occurred. |
HOST VO Based on the size and shape of the worm and the fact that it is still moving, the doctor knows it can only be one thing, a hookworm. DAN RISKIN VO/OC Hookworms are blood sucking intestinal parasites that have jagged teeth they use to hook onto the flesh. |
HOST VO There are man types of hookworms, each specialized for a different host. But, if Missy has contacted a human hookworm, she could be in danger. When a human hookworm infects the skin, the worm excretes an enzyme that breaks apart skin cells allowing it to burrow freely through thick layers of skin. From there the worm enters the bloodstream and travels through the body to the intestine where it hooks into intestinal tissue and gorges itself on blood. But, if a hookworm reaches the vital organs, such as the heart or the lungs, it can cause severe anemia, malnutrition, and even heart failure. Missy is terrified that the worm might have traveled to her vital organs. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC As it was getting close to my heart and my lungs I was concerned primarily about getting rid of it. |
HOST VO The doctor asks Missy how the scratch on her breast began. Based on Missy’s experience at the animal shelter, the dermatologist believes that the worm living under Missy’s skin is not a human hookworm. She is infected with a cat hookworm. DAN RISKIN VO/OC Some species of hookworm specialize on human hosts. Others feed on mammals like dogs or cats. |
HOST VO But, it’s not unknown for a cat hookworm to infect a human host. When a mammal, such as a cat, steps on soil contaminated with hookworm larvae, the parasites burrow into the cat through its feet. From there, they migrate through the cat’s body latching onto the small intestine where they feed on blood. The parasite’s eggs are passed in the cats feces and deposited into the soil where they hatch into larvae. When an uninfected cat walks on contaminated soil, the lifecycle continues. Doctors think that the cats in the animal shelter where Missy volunteered were infected with the parasite. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC In my particular situation, the kittens were living in an animal shelter in a cage and, most likely stepped in their own feces. When I received the puncture wound it put the worm directly into my skin. |
HOST VO The dermatologist prescribes an anti-parasitic skin lotion for Missy to apply over the infected area. At home, later that evening, Missy diligently rubs the lotion onto her chest. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC In the first couple of days of using the topical medication I was not sure that it was effective because I was still able to make the worm move. It was, obviously, still alive. |
HOST VO But, after four days of treatment, Missy begins to notice a change. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I could no longer make the worm move by pressing on it. I assumed the worm had died and that the treatment was working. It probably took about a month for there to be absolutely no trace, whatsoever, of the parasite. |
HOST VO Fortunately for Missy, a cat hookworm cannot make it past human skin. So it could not have damaged her internal organs. Today, Missy has made a complete recovery from the hookworm infection. But, the experience has changed her view of pet care. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I was wary of cats to begin with and now I avoid them completely. |
HOST VO There are up to 30,000 cases of hookworm infection in the U.S. each year. And even the cleanest domestic animals can carry the parasite. The best way to avoid contracting hookworm is to avoid walking barefoot on contaminated soil and ensure domestic pets are dewormed regularly by a veterinarian. DAN RISKIN VO/OC Hookworm infection is one of the most widespread parasitic diseases in the world. It effects an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide. |
HOST VO Not all parasites are as contagious as hookworms. But, some are just as nasty as one cattle farmer is about to discover. July, 1991. Angela Weisskopf owns a beautiful 630 acre farm in North Carolina. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC It was lovely. It was rolling fields and lots of wonderful, old trees. We had beef cattle and we had anywhere from 30 to 40 head. It was a working farm, so we had a lot to do there. HOST VO Angela and her husband, Rudy, spend their summers at the farm and winters at an apartment in Bethesda, Maryland. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC We travel as much as we could. We were very busy. |
HOST VO But, their idyllic country life is about to be interrupted by a devious monster. One morning, Angela is finishing up some chores in the kitchen when she notices something strange. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I just felt this itch and looked down at my arm and, and there was this red blotch. It was a red rash. It itched very much like a mosquito bite. HOST VO She doesn’t think much of it and puts the rash out of her mind. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I just didn’t think that it was anything that serious. |
HOST VO But, the following afternoon, her husband returns home from the fields with the exact same problem. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC It was really curious because he had the same red rash and the itchiness. HOST VO To Angela, the source of the rash seems obvious. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC Since we were in the fields and in the hayfields, I was sure that it was something we picked up on the farm. I put on some Bactine on it and I really kind of ignored it. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO Two days later, the rash has disappeared. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I assumed that, you know, it was a bite and it went away and so we just went on our business. We left the farm and came back to Bethesda after about a month. And since we had no further symptoms, we just forgot about it. HOST VO But, the ordeal that Angela is about to face won’t be so easy to forget. MUSIC OUT |
MUSIC IN HOST VO The following spring, Angela and Rudy have returned to the farm. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC HOST VO Just like before, Angela is not the only one to get the rash. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC My husband had a second occurrence with his rash and itchiness. I am getting suspicious. It was just too consistent and they looked the same, and that we were both getting it, which seemed inconceivable. HOST VO But, there’s a striking difference. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC It was closer to my chest this time. HOST VO Not only has the rash migrated to a new area of Angela’s body, it covers most of her shoulder. Angela wants to see a doctor, but Rudy feels differently. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC He is very optimistic and tried to calm me down, actually. I think he was more sure than I was that it was something we’d picked up on the farm. And so, we did not see the doctor or seek help. HOST VO It’s a decision that they will both come to regret. |
HOST VO Angela takes her husband’s advice and tries to ignore the persistent itch. ANGELA WEISSKOPF OC/VO It disappeared again in about two days. After it disappeared, I assumed that, you know, it was a bite. And it, it went away and so we just went on our business. |
HOST VO The Weisskopfs return to their normal routine and, once again, put the rash out of their minds until one night in April almost exactly one year later. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I am in Bethesda, in my apartment, and suddenly I get the itch again and it’s the rash. HOST VO And again, the strange rash has moved to yet another part of Angela’s body. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I felt the itchiness and rash come into my neck area. HOST VO This time Angela can’t blame the rash on something they picked up on the farm. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC We were still at our home in Bethesda when this happened in an apartment and really were not out in the open or fields or wild. It became clear to me that this was not a bite coming from the outside. This was something that, perhaps, we had in us. |
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HOST VO Angela Weisskopf and her husband, Rudy, have been suffering from a mysterious, itchy rash that appears and disappears without warning. They had assumed that the rashes were caused by bug bites. But, after a third reoccurrence, Angela is terrified that the rash is being caused by something living inside her body. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I go to my husband after this repeated occurrence and he, finally, agreed with me that perhaps we had better consult a doctor. |
HOST VO Angela and Rudy make an appointment to see Dr. Martin Wolfe. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC I got the full history from her. I was told that she had some problems with her skin. And her husband also had a similar story. HOST VO Dr. Wolfe takes a skin sample from Angela’s neck and sends it to a lab for testing. Three weeks later, the lab results come back. DR. MARTIN WOLFE OC/VO I got the report back both for her and her husband, and it was positive. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC And Dr. Wolfe calls with the results and tells me that, yes, he had a positive diagnosis of Gnathostomiasis. |
HOST VO Gnathostomiasis is a skin disease caused by a parasitic roundworm called Gnathostoma. In a human host, the Gnathostoma parasite burrows through the skin and internal organs feeding on tissues and causing massive inflammation. If the worm reaches the central nervous system it can cause paralysis, and even death. DAN RISKIN VO/OC Gnathostoma are built to bore through their host bodies. Their heads are covered with four rows of tine hooklets that literally tear the flesh as they go. And they can tear through nearly any body tissue wreaking havoc. |
ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC Dr. Wolfe got one of his books down and, and showed us a picture of this particular parasite. It looked terrible. You get to thinking about it living in you for, for three years, and moving around, which was, was disturbing in itself, and obviously, having to feed on something. |
DAN RISKIN OC Humans are not the definitive host for Gnathostoma. And that means that the larvae can’t mature into adult worms inside the human body. |
HOST VO This explains why Angela’s rash kept reappearing in different places. Since the larva can never grow to maturity, it keeps tunneling through the human body on an endless search for food. Dr. Wolfe tells Angela how the parasite has been feeding on her flesh for the past three years. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC The nodules occur as the larva comes towards the surface of the skin. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC He explained that this parasite would come to the surface periodically. Then it would go deep into my skin. And that it, it did move around starting in the arm and then ending up on my chest. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC Third stage larva, which does not develop into an adult in humans, has been known to live for... MUSIC OUT …ten years or more. |
MUSIC IN HOST VO But, how did Angela and her husband become infected with this rare, but deadly parasite? The answer lies in Gnathostoma’s lifecycle. Gnathostoma larvae hatch from eggs in fresh water. Then the larvae are eaten by a crustacean, which is eaten by a fish, which is eaten by a mammal, such as a dog. In the mammal’s gut, the larvae mature and pass eggs with the host’s feces. When the eggs enter freshwater, the lifecycle continues. The majority of Gnathostoma infections in humans comes from a single source, undercooked fish. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC Man can ingest undercooked fish, which are infected with the third stage larvae. That’s how a man gets infected. |
ANGELA WEISSKOPF OC/VO I went back to think where we had undercooked fish. And the only place was on our trip to Africa. One afternoon, my husband went fishing, and caught some catfish. We thought we’d have them for dinner, but the cook had planned something else. So, he made it into sushi. MUSIC OUT It didn’t occur to me not to eat it, which was foolish… MUSIC IN So we had the catfish as sushi for our first course of dinner that evening. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC So this was another piece of the puzzle that fit together. |
HOST VO With the diagnosis in place, Angela turns her attention to ridding herself of the parasite. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC Once I realized what it was, I was concerned and absolutely wanted to get rid of it. And thought that, you know, the quicker the better, actually. DR. MARTIN WOLFE OC/VO The treatment was a drug called Albendazole, which is an anti-worm medication. HOST VO But, the treatment has a disturbing side effect. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC As some of these worms are dying, they migrate to the skin, possibly trying to escape out of the body. |
HOST VO If the dying worm does come to the surface of the skin, Dr. Wolfe will have to remove it himself. The Weisskopfs return home knowing that at any moment a parasitic worm might burrow its way out of Angela’s skin. ANGELA WEISSKOPF OC It was really scary. |
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HOST VO Doctors have discovered that the flesh eating worm, Gnathostoma has been living inside Angela Weisskopf for three years. She has been prescribed an anti-parasitic medication to kill the voracious monster. But, the drugs could cause the hungry worm to come tunneling out of Angela’s body in a desperate attempt to escape. The night she takes the first round of pills, Angela can barely sleep. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC It was really scary. Well, the first night was horrible, just horrific. But, you can get used to anything. |
HOST VO Then, three weeks later, Angela notices a familiar sensation. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC I felt the itchiness and, and the rash come into my neck area. And so I immediately called Dr. Wolfe. DR. MARTIN WOLFE OC This sounded very much like what had been described in a larva coming to the surface. So I gathered some gloves and a needle and some material. |
HOST VO Medical tools in hand, Dr. Wolfe races to Angela’s apartment. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC Once Dr. Wolfe saw where it was, he swabbed it with some alcohol. HOST VO Dr. Wolfe uses a pair of tweezers to pluck the tiny invader from the skin on Angela’s neck. ANGELA WEISSKOPF OC/VO And came out holding this very, very small thing. And it looked just like an eyelash. It was that small. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC I saw a tiny string-like object, which was not moving, which may have indeed been dying at the time because of the drug treatment that she was under. And I put it into a vial of alcohol for preservation. HOST VO Angela is finally face to face with her parasite. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC It was amazing that it moved around as much as it did being as small as it was. |
HOST VO With the worm safely extracted, Dr. Wolfe is confident that Angela is parasite free. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC It’s uncommon for people to have more than one larva. So we didn’t expect that Angela would have any other problems. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC But, after three years was very happy that it was finally out of me. |
HOST VO But, what about Angela’s husband, Rudy? DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC We believe, in her husband’s case, the worm had probably died and was destroyed inside the body. |
HOST VO There are less than 20 cases of Gnathostomiasis reported in the United States every year. But, the parasite is much more common in central and… |
HOST VO …southern Asia. When visiting these areas, travelers should avoid eating fish that has not been cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. DAN RISKIN VO/OC The skin is one of the most vulnerable organs in the human body. It’s exposed to the elements. So every day it comes into contact with millions of microbes. But, parasites are unique among these pathogens. They’ve developed strategies to get past even our best defenses. The challenge… MUSIC OUT …is catching them before it’s too late. |
MUSIC IN HOST VO For more disgusting parasites and tips on how to avoid them, visit our website, Animalplanet.com/MonstersInsideMe. |
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MUSIC IN DR. JASON REICHENBERG VO/OC The treatment process itself is daily administration of an IV medication that’s actually fairly toxic. AARON MOTSINGER VO/OC A lot of the side effects from the IV would be very similar to what cancer patients feel when they go through chemotherapy. HOST VO Aaron sits through 30 hours of excruciating treatments. AARON MOTSINGER OC/VO About three days into the treatment, I start to feel really terrible, very fatigued all the time. I felt nauseous almost around the clock. And I actually ended up losing about ten pounds over the course of treatment. |
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MUSIC IN HOST VO Then, to get a closer look, Dr. Wolfe inspects the skin sample under a microscope. MUSIC OUT What he sees is shocking. MUSIC IN DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC Angela had migrating nodules. Migrating nodules are usually related to an allergy or allergic reactions to foreign bodies. HOST VO Dr. Wolfe knows there’s only one thing that can cause migrating nodules like Angela’s. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC Worms can attack the skin and cause nodules. It suggested that there was a worm infection. DAN RISKIN OC/VO Parasitic worms are some of the most prevalent human parasites on Earth. There are dozens of different species that can infect that human body. HOST VO Some parasitic worms are virtually harmless. But, other can be deadly. Dr. Wolfe needs to identify Angela’s worm as soon as possible. But, to do so, he needs to send her skin sample to the lab. DR. MARTIN WOLFE VO/OC It had to be examined microscopically, which a pathologist do. HOST VO It will take several weeks for the results to return. For Angela, the wait is almost unbearable. ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO/OC Acknowledging that this was, or could be a parasite, that, that did unnerve me a bit. I really got concerned that I had this thing in me. |
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MUSIC IN ANGELA WEISSKOPF VO There were a lot of ticks in the area. I thought that it could have been a tick bite. HOST VO Ticks are bloodsucking arachnids common in fields and wooded areas. Their bites can cause a number of dangerous bacterial infections. Angela decides to use an anti-bacterial ointment to treat the rash. |
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MUSIC IN HOST VO Later that evening, when Rich returns home from the hospital, Missy asks him for his professional opinion. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC I tell him about what happened with the kitten and tell him it’s pretty itchy and red. HOST VO Rich inspects the puncture wound and offers a suggestion. RICH ALLEN OC/VO When something itches to me, that’s first and foremost I think that it’s an allergy. At the time it just sort of looked like a, a pimple more than anything else. And, you know, I, I just thought, it’ll, it’ll just heal on its own. Sure enough, you know, every day it seems to be extending a little farther away from where the cat scratched to the point that it was probably a good four or six inches away from where, from where the cat scratch had begun. I thought maybe this could be the bacterial infection from the cat scratch. HOST VO When cats scratch humans, their claws can transmit dangerous forms of bacteria into the body. RICH ALLEN OC Most often when you hear of a cat scratch you’re thinking more of Cat scratch fever. HOST VO Cat scratch fever is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bartonella, which can be found on cat’s claws. But, the disease is typically benign. Rich decides it’s best for Missy to wait it out. RICH ALLEN VO/OC At this point, since we’re both in school and we’re trying to cut costs, in particular, it would be great if she wouldn’t have to go see a specialist. And I’m encouraging her to keep her hands off of it because I know that the more that she manipulates it, the more inflamed it’s gonna get. I just thought, it’ll, it’ll just heal on its own. |
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MUSIC IN HOST VO But, when Missy wakes up the next morning, the wound looks different. MISSY ALLEN VO/OC The spot is a little bit larger. It is redder and it is a little bit itchier. I’ve never had an allergic reaction last more than one day. I’m a little more concerned now, but it isn’t distracting me or keeping me from doing my normal activities. |
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