"As far as I can tell to me this looks typical of a mermithid nematode. Matt Bolek, an associate professor of integrative biology at Oklahoma State University and an expert in parasite ecology and evolution, wrote: If so, he told us, it "is of no danger to humans." John Janovy, emeritus professor of biological sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an expert in parasite ecology, told Snopes "There is a chance" the worm shown in the video was a mermithid nematode. These are not pathogenic to humans only to insects." They are parasitic to insects and spiders, but they do not parasitize humans, and they are not harmful to us.īen Hanelt, a senior lecturer in biology at the University of New Mexico and an expert in parasitic worms, told Snopes in an email: "This is very likely a mermithid nematode. However, some of the specific claims associated with it were inaccurate.Īccording to experts we consulted, the creature shown in the video is very likely to be a mermithid nematode worm (a member of the Mermithidae family and the nematoda phylum). The video was undoubtedly a curiosity, and it's not surprising that the unappetizing spectacle of a worm moving about inside a popular vegetable caused it to be shared widely on social media. Other widely shared videos did not specifically claim the worm could inflict pain or kill humans, but did advise viewers, in broader terms, to "be careful." Some videos identified the worm as "Simla Mirch." It can cause pain and ultimately lead to death": a new worm which lives in wet areas of the body. Her caption warned (translated from Portuguese): "Be careful with peppers. 20, a Facebook user from Brazil posted the video, garnering almost 10 million views within a week. The video was re-posted by multiple Facebook users, many of whom warned viewers about the worm, which several of them described as potentially dangerous, and some identified as "the simla mirch" worm. In August 2019, we received multiple inquiries from readers about the facts surrounding a viral video clip that showed what appeared to be a long, stringy worm of some kind moving about inside a green bell pepper. One expert explained that even if it were a different type of worm, it did not resemble any variety known to infect humans or pose a threat to them. The experts we consulted agreed the worm was likely to be a mermithid nematode, and therefore harmless to humans.
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