Suspected snake bite turning out to be death due to choking round worn infestation - A case report

A six years old female child was brought to the casualty department of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Hospital and associated Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur (C.G.) with the history of snake bite. On autopsy signs of asphyxia and one large round worm was found in lower respiratory tract. No animal bite mark could be found as alleged by relatives and police. Later on it was revealed by relatives of the deceased that the girl had passed four round worms in stool three year back. For which she was given some medications. The small intestine was studded with multiple round worms most of which were live. The intestine contained very little amount of digested food material. The social, ethical and medico legal issues involved in sudden suspicious deaths in the state of Chhattisgarh and too frequent histroy of snake bite in most of them is discussed in the paper.