Doctors discovered a live ant crawling in this 42-year-old woman's ear: 'Unique clinical scenario'

There's really never been anything like it. A 42-year-old woman from Graz, Austria, went to see her doctor with a sudden ringing in her ears. They immediately found the cause of her tinnitus: a small insect had made itself at home in her ear! However, the removal turned out to be not quite as easy as the diagnosis...

The live ant in the woman's ear has been labelled as a 'unique clinical scenario', as experts explained according to the news magazine Heute. The little animal had entered the Graz woman's ear through an existing eardrum perforation. Fortunately, it is very rare for such small, crawly insects to find their way into the ear.

This case is extremely rare

According to Amplifon, the world's leading hearing aid acoustician, such cases are very rare in Europe. In countries where people sleep close to or even on the ground, it is more likely that an ant or spider will seek a human home.

Spectacular cases often become known in the media. Amplifon reports of a seven-centimetre-long cricket in the ear of a man from India, a cockroach in the ear of an Australian man and a Chinese woman with a jumping spider as an uninvited visitor.

However, such incidents are the exception. More often than not, foreign bodies such as dust, sand or plant parts are brought into the ear through housework. However, the most common cause of problems in the ear canal remains the classic earwax plug.

How to remove a living foreign body

Normally, our earwax protects us from any intruders, as it repels insects with its odour and bitter substances. However, if something does get into your ear, Amplifon suggests three ways to remove the insect:

1. Light: As the crawlers are magically attracted to light, you can 'light' the way out for them.
2. Water rinsing: Turn the affected ear upwards, let water run in and then turn the head again so that the animal is rinsed out.
3. Oil rinse: If water does not work, it is best to use oil. If the oil is allowed to work for a few minutes, the insect will be killed and also rinsed out when the head is turned again.

Local anaesthesia was initially unsuccessful

However, removing the ant from the 42-year-old woman turned out to be more difficult than expected. According to Peter Kiss from MedUni Graz's Department of ENT and his co-authors, whose report was published in the journal Diagnostics, the insect could not initially be removed under local anaesthesia. In the end, surgery was required, which went smoothly. The patient made a full recovery and subsequently had no impairment to her hearing.

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.

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Sources used:

Today: Live ant in Graz woman's ear causes tinnitus

Amplifon: Interesting facts about insects in the ear