A woman from Tokyo had to have a 3.8cm worm removed from her mouth after eating a piece of raw fish. Well, that's my day ruined, so I dread to think how she feels.
Millions of people eat sushi and sashimi every day and usually the food is both harmless and delicious.
However, this 25-year-old woman began chewing on some sashimi, unaware that it housed Pseudoterranova azarasi, a type of parasitic roundworm. The worms can sometimes reside in raw or undercooked ocean fish.
While there have been cases of the parasites being found in a person's stomach, it's incredibly rare for it to be removed from where it was discovered in this woman's body.
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The case has been unveiled in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The 25-year-old reported to having throat pain and irritation for five days. The Japanese woman said the pain started after she had eaten an 'assorted sashimi' set.
When she went to see a doctor, they found 'a black moving worm' on her left tonsil.
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The researchers wrote: "Her blood test results were normal. Symptoms rapidly improved after removing the worm using tweezers.
"The worm body was black, 38 mm long, 1mm wide, and was moulting the outer cuticle."
Thankfully, these worms are far from a regular occurrence in sashimi, so you don't have to avoid your favourite sushi joint for fear of the same thing happening to you.
The best way to avoid this happening to you is either thoroughly cooking the meat, or freezing it if you wanted to eat it raw, which will kill any bacteria.
Featured Image Credit: The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene