Answer to Case 577

Answer to Parasite Case of the Week 577: Planarian worm,Bipaliumspecies, commonly known as the " hammerhead worm " . This is not a human parasite. Upon further questions, the patient mentioned that she was taking a nap outdoors, thus explaining the finding of this interesting flatworm on her arm.There is a lot of great discussion in the comment section on this case, including some recommended reading. HP recommendsthis open access articlein BioInvasions Records, which includes images of both gross and histologic features, both of which are consistent with this case. The University of Florida also hasthis nice poston land planarians which are invasive species in Florida. Thanks again to Dr. Feely for this cool case!
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs