Man Dies 8 Years After Swallowing a Live Slug That Left Him Paralyzed

[Judi Lynn]

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | November 5, 2018 11:48am ET

In 2010, a teenage rugby player in Australia named Sam Ballard accepted an unusual dare at a party: swallow a live garden slug. The experience left him paralyzed and with significant brain damage, and on Friday (Nov. 2), Ballard died in a Sydney hospital at the age of 28.

The strange and sad case occurred because, along with the slug, Ballard had swallowed a parasite called Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as rat lungworm, which the slug likely picked up from rat droppings, according to the U.K.'s EveningStandard.

Rat lungworm infection can lead to bacterial meningitis, which may include symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, and "abnormal sensations" in the arms and legs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Typically, rat lungworm infections get better without treatment. But in some cases, serious complications can occur and cause severe disruption of the nervous system or even death, the CDC says. [8 Awful Parasite Infections That Will Make Your Skin Crawl]

In the days after swallowing the slug, Ballard developed pains in his legs and was hospitalized after spells of persistent dizziness and vomiting. Doctors diagnosed him with a rat lungworm infection, and he fell into a coma that lasted 420 days, Live Science previously reported.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/64014-teen-swallowed-slug-dies.html

[exboyfil]

1. I often think about the stupid things I did

which almost led to a life threatening or even a deadly disaster. I am also a very cautious person by nature.

[madaboutharry]

2. The world can be a dangerous place for 18 year olds.

I guess we can all talk about things we did when we were that age and feel grateful nothing bad happened. I hitchhiked in France. That was really dumb.

[Sancho]

3. Not quite a Darwin Award candidate...

[appal_jack]

4. Unless he had a child, he very much is a Darwin "Winner." nt

[defacto7]

5. All the things we do to fit in at that age...

Then one bad turn. A lot of us could have been in his predicament or another.