An eight-centimetre roundworm removed from a New South Wales woman’s brain has both intrigued the medical world and filled the rest of us with a warranted amount of unease.

The parasite – reportedly from a python snake – had been lodged in the woman’s head for an extended period of time, creating a wide range of symptoms in the unfortunate patient, from digestion issues to depression.

ANU and Canberra Hospital infectious diseases expert Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake told Julie-anne Sprague on 6PR Afternoons the woman had received multiple treatments before the real culprit was discovered.

“Everyone in the operating theatre was taken aback because when you operate on brains, you never expect to see anything live and wriggling,” Professor Senanayake said.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the world-first and unsettling discovery

Images: Canberra Health