Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Waterdale Bridge and Several Skyscrapers of the city downtown at sunset. Photo Credit: www.dreamstime.com

By The Canadian Press

Rare Parasite

Doctors find tumor on Edmonton women’s liver was a rare parasite, not cancer

Jan 26, 2020 | 11:56 AM

EDMONTON – An Edmonton woman says she wants people to know about a rare parasite she probably had for 10 years.

Cassidy Armstrong, who is 36, says she went for surgery in November for what she had been told was a rare, terminal cancer.

She found out a day or two later that the grapefruit-sized tumor doctors removed from her liver was a cyst caused by a tiny tapeworm.

It’s found in foxes, coyotes and domestic dogs and can be passed on to people.

An infectious disease expert at the University of Alberta says there have been 15 cases of the tapeworm in the province since 2013.

Dr. Stan Houston says it was first identified by veterinarians in wild animals, especially coyotes.

The tapeworm is spread through their feces after the animals have eaten infected rodents.

Dogs can get it the same way.

The worm can be passed to people on fruits or vegetables, by handling contaminated soil or through an infected pet’s fur.

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(The Canadian Press)

by The Canadian Press