Scientists uncover horrifying parasitic worm that can infiltrate your body and increase risk of cancer
It's already spreading to parts of Europe
Featured Image Credit: BSIP / Contributor / Getty
While the human race sits at the top of the food chain, that doesn't stop Mother Nature from trying to topple us from the top. Whether it be natural disasters, deadly pandemics, or evolving species, it seems that every day comes with some new warning about something trying to eradicate the human race.
Alongside concerns that we could be mere steps away from triggering another pandemic worse than COVID-19, we're now told to be vigilant for a parasitic worm that can infiltrate our bodies and supposedly increase our risk of getting cancer.
The National Cancer Institute warns there will be 2,041,910 new cases diagnosed in the USA by the end of 2025, while the death toll for that same period is expected to hit 618,120. Numerous factors can lead to cancer developing in our body, and whether it be genetics, lifestyle choices, or environmental conditions, the fact that there's no cure for cancer means we should be taking note of any medical advice on how to avoid it.
Even though science is expanding exponentially to tackle cancer causes and treatments, we're told to look out for Schistosoma mansoni, or as it's more commonly known, a blood fluke.
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The 17mm-long flatworm is known to cause chronic intestinal schistosomiasis, which kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.
It's not just us contracting rat lungworm disease we need to be worried about, as new research from the Tulane School of Medicine (published in The Journal of Immunology) reiterates the dangers of blood flukes.
The water-borne parasite is mostly found in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, with the World Health Organisation reiterating its the most prevalent parasite in humans. In 2021, it was estimated that some 251.4 million people globally were living with schistosomiasis.
The latest research explains why we don't feel pain or itching when blood flukes penetrate the skin, meaning they can often go unnoticed.
Researchers noted how S. mansoni worms reduce the activity of TRPV1+ in the body. This protein sends pain signals to the brain, but as well as blood flukes affecting this, they can also go undetected by our immune systems.
Infection occurs when via contact with infested water through swimming, washing clothes, or fishing. Larvae are hosted in snails that've eaten infected human feces, with the parasites then penetrating our skin. When inside, they release thousands of eggs that can quickly swarm our vital organs.
Also known as snail fever or bilharzia schistosomiasis, blood fluke infections can cause blindness, infertility, organ damage, and can even manifest as bladder cancer if left untreated.
While it makes for some skin-crawling reading, study lead Dr. De'Broski R. Herbert hopes that analysis could lead to advancements in pain medication: "If we identify and isolate the molecules used by [parasitic worms] to block TRPV1+ activation, it may present a novel alternative to current opioid-based treatments for reducing pain.
“The molecules that block TRPV1+ could also be developed into therapeutics that reduce disease severity for individuals suffering from painful inflammatory conditions."
Even though outbreaks were once confined to sub-Saharan Africa, it's more recently spread to southern Europe.
Speaking to The Telegraph in May 2025, Bonnie Webster, principal researcher at the Schistosome Snail Resource at the Natural History Museum, suggested worms have reached Europe by hitchhiking on people who've visited Africa: "Once one snail is infected, they infect a whole population of snails which then infect a whole population of humans."
Despite the disease typically clearing up on its own, long-term complications can occur if it remains in the body. In some particularly concerning cases, eggs are known to have reached the brain and spinal cord.