Here are six things to know about the situation.
1. The BMJ withdrew an article titled, “Cutaneous larva migrans with pulmonary involvement,” stating they did so “voluntarily at the request of the patient concerned” and “with no admission of liability.”
2. The case involved a husband and wife pair who contracted a rash after sunbathing on a beach in the French island of Martinique in the Caribbean. The patients reportedly woke up the next day with “red pinprick marks” on their backsides.
3. Upon returning to the U.K., the patients went to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, England. Physicians discovered worms had infested their skin, resulting in the rash, The Washington Post reports. The patients were given a mix of several medications and were able to successfully treat their condition.
4. Hospital physicians reportedly found the case interesting and wrote a study, later published in BMJ. The journal article did not identify the patients, but did contain full-color photos of the patients’ infected backsides. The article was soon picked up by various tabloid publications, including The Sun and the Daily Mail, which contained information the couple believed may allow acquaintances to identify who they were.
5. In an emailed statement to The Washington Post, BMJ said one of the patients reached out to the journal and “explained that they were concerned about being identified by close friends and/or colleagues, as a result of the subsequent media coverage,” the report states.
“Prior to publication of the article, written consent from the patient was obtained. … The patient indicated their understanding that complete anonymity could not be guaranteed and it was also made clear in the consent form that BMJ publications are viewed by many non-doctors, including journalists. … To be clear, the removal of the article does not amount to a retraction and the journal stands by its factual content.”
6. A spokesperson for Addenbrooke’s Hospital said in a statement to The Washington Post, “The case study was shared with the BMJ with the aim of medical advancement, to aid other clinicians, and potentially help the treatment of future patients with similar conditions. Because the article was being picked up in nonmedical publications, a request was made for it to be removed.”
To access The Washington Post report, click here.
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Founding dean of Virginia Tech medical school to retire: 5 things to know
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