Abby Beckley aged 28 of Oregon pulled living eye parasites herself while on a fishing trip to Alaska. Abby told to CNN that she felt like she had a stray lash under her eyelid. she told to CNN that her eye was red, swollen, and droopy.

“Cases of eye worm parasitic infections are rare in the USA, and this case turned out to be a species of the Thelazia that had never been reported in humans,” said Richard Bradbury, PhD, the lead author of the study who works with the CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. “Previously, it was thought that there were only two different species of these (Thelazia) eye worms that infected humans worldwide. Now, we have to add Thelazia gulosa, a third one to the list.

“This case report underscores the importance of the public health work done by CDC’s parasitic diseases reference laboratory in diagnosing parasitic diseases in the United States and around the world,” said ASTMH President Regina Rabinovich, MD, MPH. “Their depth of expertise is unmatched and invaluable in the fight against parasitic diseases.”