This Woman is Living with Parasites 'Wriggling Around' in Her Blood (Photos)

Doctors have found live parasites in the blood of a woman suffering from Lyme disease. 

Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia bacterium which is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Tahlia Smith, 21, was bitten when she was in the US for a performing arts trip. She was
diagnosed with the disease, and the co-infections babesia and bartonella, in January this year.

Her symptoms have included a swollen spinal cord, leg tremours, nausea, headaches, joint pain and fevers, sensitivity to noise and debilitating seizures.

On her Facebook page, Tahlia's father Brett updated followers about the gruesome discovery that 'showed live active Spirochetes which is the Lyme Disease itself wiggling around everywhere' in his daughter's blood.

Tahlia is undergoing controversial medical treatment in Germany in an attempt to cure her of the debilitating condition.

Her mother, Lea, told The Sydney Morning Herald the treatment involved heating Tahlia's body up to 42 degrees to kill the borrelia bacterium in her blood.

Mr Smith said a drop of Tahlia's blood before treatment showed 'live active Spirochetes' when placed under a microscope.
'I have never seen anything like it ... this was done four hours after that blood was taken and they were still active,' he wrote on Facebook.
On the first day of her treatment Tahlia underwent blood filtration, and Mr Smith said the process removed 'all this yellow liquid in various shades' from her blood.

The treatment has left Tahlia exhausted. According to her parents:
'All of this has left Tahl's feeling extremely sick, again sore and sorry and drained. But three days in to treatment, we have seen a change in Tahlia's blood which is 'a lot clearer and clean'.
If this treatment results in helping someone else then it's worth it.'