Newlyweds contract rare brain parasite during honeymoon in Hawaii

Newlyweds, Ben Manilla and Eliza Lape arrived in Hawaii from San Francisco to enjoy their two weeks honeymoon, but they got something much worse.

During the honeymoon, they both contracted symptoms of a sickness they've never heard of before: rat lungworm, a disease caused by a parasitic worm that affects the brain and spinal cord.

They both were hospitalized, and while Lape is now out, Manilla is still fighting the aches and pains at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

'I've had several operations, two pneumonias, a blood clot; right now, I'm dealing with a kidney issue," Manilla said.

When asked how they might have contracted the disease, Lape said:

“We were eating food from the garden, we were eating food from food stands, people were bringing us fruit and vegetables. We have no idea, frankly, where we picked it up.”

The disease is often caused by consuming raw or undercooked snails and slugs that are infected with the parasite. For example, poorly washed lettuce or other raw produce may contain an unnoticed snail or slug. Transmission can also occur when people eat infected crabs, shrimp and frogs.