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Plagued by a stomach bug for a few days, an Indian man and the doctors treating him were surprised to discover the source of his malaise: a three-centimetre cockroach alive and wriggling in his small intestine.
According to The Indian Express, the 23-year-old went to doctors at Fortis Vasant Kunj hospital, New Delhi, in early October complaining of intense abdominal pain, trouble keeping food down and bloating after enjoying street food a few days earlier.
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Doctors performed an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy – when a tiny camera at the end of a long, flexible tube is fed orally into the upper digestive system – and found the many-legged squatter.
“For the last two-three days, the patient was suffering from indigestion and bloating after eating food. It was during routine inspections that we incidentally spotted the cockroach,” senior gastroenterological consultant Dr. Shubham Vatsya told the Express, noting to The New India Times that it may have crawled in while the man slept.
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“Even we were surprised as to how the cockroach managed to stay intact,” he added.
While cockroaches don’t bite, studies show that the vermin carry parasitic worms, pathogens and bacteria that, when left on food, can cause salmonella, staphylococcus, streptococcus and E. coli contamination, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The World Health Organization also says the insect has been known to carry intestinal diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever. The bug has also been known to harbour the plague virus.
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Faced with the “life-threatening situation,” Vatsya and his team performed a 10-minute endoscopic procedure to evict the uninvited guest.
“We activated the suction button on the scope, effectively sucking the cockroach into the suction channel, leading to its removal from the body and saving the man’s life,” Vatsya told the Express.
Talking to The New India Express, Vatsya said “Had the cockroach died, it would have disintegrated leading to infectious disorders and aggravating the patient’s overall health.”
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