OK, you printed my question with nothing other than a jab at my intelligence [January 19]. [Morb wanted to know if ringworms exit a patient’s nostrils en masse upon application of anesthesia. I pointed out that ringworm is a fungus, not a worm.–C.A.] Apparently, the article referred to tapeworms, not ringworm. Sorry–I’m not as familiar with parasites as you seem to be. Care to try again?
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You told me privately you saw the article describing the fleeing worms in Maxim or Stuff, neither of which, it’s safe to say, is a peer-reviewed journal. You apparently then threw the magazine away, which is what the Teeming Millions always do when entrusted with vital artifacts. However, having perused the files, I think what you’re talking about is not tapeworm, as you (probably) incorrectly guessed (again), but rather roundworm, specifically the large intestinal roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. These guys, the medical literature informs us, “may migrate up the esophagus and enter the air passages, especially when they are irritated by certain drugs or anesthetic agents.” So maybe when they put you under, the worms hightail it out of you like rats deserting a sinking ship.
That said, I haven’t been able to find any cases in the medical journals of this actually occurring–and they report everything in the medical journals. Here’s a sampling of what I did find:
Getting back to your question, Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment (this is a fascinating book, by the way–sort of a Chilton’s guide to human body repair) warns, “Treatment with anthelmintics [antiparasitic drugs] can cause worms to migrate before they die. Because anesthesia stimulates worms to hypermotility, they should be removed in advance in infected patients undergoing elective surgery” (my italics). So if you’re worried about mass worm evacuation via the schnozz, I guess you’re not alone.
