OK, it's actually from South America, my mistake.
Candirú (
candiru without an accent in official Portuguese spelling; also
canero,
toothpick fish, or
willy fish) refers to
parasitic freshwater catfish of a number of genera in the
family Trichomycteridae. They are found in the
Amazon River and have a reputation among the natives as
the most feared fish in its waters, even over the
piranha.
[2] They are
eel-shaped and
translucent, making them almost impossible to see in the water. Some species have been known to grow to a size of 6
inches (~15 cm) in length.
While the members of the subfamily Vandelliinae feed on blood, members of Stegophilinae may feed on scales, mucus, or carrion.
[7]
This fish is feared to attack humans and swim into an orifice (the
vagina,
anus, or even the
penis—and deep into the
urethra).
[5] Because of spines protruding from the fish, it is almost impossible to remove except through surgery.
[8] The fish locates its host by following a water flow to its source and thus
urinating while bathing increases the chance of a candirú homing in on a human urethra. Natives have also been known to bathe facing the current, as doing so would decrease the chances of the organism lodging itself in the rectum.[
citation needed] Other orifices such as the penis or vagina are covered up with the use of hands.
Though there have been documented candirú attacks on humans, there is no evidence the fish can survive once inside a human. A traditional cure involves the use of two plants, the Jagua plant (
Genipa americana) and the
Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. In theory, these two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish. More often, infection causes shock and death in the victim before the candirú can be removed.
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