A young woman went to the doctors complaining of a tingly sore throat only to find out the culprit wasn’t a cold, but a live worm which was burrowing into one of her tonsils.

The 25-year-old went to St Luke’s International hospital in Tokyo with pain and irritation at the back of her throat. Her blood tests were normal and she seemed otherwise fine, but a closer examination revealed a small black mass in her left tonsil.

After a short tweezer extraction it was wriggling in a dish in front of her. According to a case study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene the worm, still alive and measuring 38mm long and 1mm wide, was identified as a nematode roundworm – one of several parasites which can infect people who eat raw fish or meat.

It transpired the woman had eaten sashimi five days earlier. Her symptoms were said to have ‘rapidly improved’ following the quick procedure.

The journal noted that the worm was a fourth-stage larva and that the infection had been caused by its younger version which had been present in her dish.

The authors observed that although oropharyngeal infection is rare – as opposed to worms which attach to the lining of the oesophagus, stomach or intestine – the number of reported cases have ‘markedly increased worldwide’ due to the growing popularity of sushi and sashimi.

Freezing fish should usually kill any parasites but different countries have different guidelines, if any, for doing so.

Similar infections can also be caused by consuming raw or undercooked meat.

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