A beetle living in a man’s intestines was discovered during a colonoscopy. The unusual case was published by physicians at the American College of Gastroenterology in an article in Case Reports Journal.
The identity of the 59-year-old patient has been preserved, but photos of the insect were revealed in a recent publication. He wasn’t complaining of pain and claimed to have scheduled the test as a routine, and was surprised when he was warned of the “invader” living in his system.
Colonoscopy uses the image to determine the condition of the large intestine. In the case of a North American patient, the result “star” beetle, hosted in the patient’s transverse colon.
“The colonoscopy was normal, and the preparation for the colonoscopy may have helped the insect escape from the digestive enzymes of the stomach and upper part of the small intestine,” the researchers explained.
The ladybird has been identified as being of the species Harmonia axyridis, which experts described with its “reddish-orange colors” as “particularly striking”.
According to the scientists, “insect ingestion is rarely reported, but it can occur even during sleep.”
The main theory is that the beetle entered the man’s mouth while he was sleeping and was carried into the intestines. The sticky substance in the organ may have helped the insect survive.
The ladybug has been removed and the guy is fine.
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