Iguana bites preschooler, steals her cake, and leaves her with rare infection



A California girl was left with a rare bacterial infection after an iguana in Costa Rica bit her and stole her cake, CNN reported.

"Our daughter ... is still recovering from the surgery ... the whole healing process has taken more strength than the bite itself," the Mars family told the outlet in a statement.

"Lena is the bravest child we can imagine, and she is handling the situation pretty well. ... She will probably never forget the experience, but we hope that someday we can all laugh about what happened."

Then 3-year-old Lena Mars and her parents, Julian and Luisa, were visiting a beach in Costa Rica in March 2022 when they stopped for a snack break by the water.

As little Lena was enjoying some cake, an iguana ran up and bit her on the finger. The girl lost her grip on the morsel, and the sweets-snatching reptile skittered off with it.

Though the bite appeared superficial, her parents took her to a local medical facility just to be sure. The clinic disinfected the bite and sent the family on their way with a round of amoxicillin, an antibiotic, the Guardian reported.

Though the wound initially seemed to clear up, five months later, a coin-sized lump appeared on the back of the tot's hand. The lump, which was not painful at first, grew larger and turned colors, the outlet reported.

Doctors first thought the lump to be a ganglion cyst and advised parents to keep a watch on it. A later consult with an orthopedist led to a biopsy and then surgery to remove a two-centimeter mass.

Lab results on the pus-filled mass showed little Lena had contracted a rare infection of Mycobacterium marinum.

"Typically, with these infections, because they take a very long time to grow and they’re a little bit more fastidious, you need to treat them for a longer period of time, sometimes several months," said Dr. Jordan Mah.

Mah is a Stanford-trained microbiology expert authoring a scientific presentation on Mars' case to be delivered at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases later this month.

Mah told CNN he believes this is the first time a human has gotten this sort of infection from an iguana bite.

Mah also says the youngster is improving.

"I wouldn't say 100%, but she's doing a lot better than she was initially."

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Leftists shower praise upon gymnast for Black Lives Matter tribute at end of her floor routine at Olympics



Costa Rican gymnast Luciana Alvarado offered a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement at the conclusion of her floor routine Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics, NBC News reported.

What did she do?

Alvarado — the first gymnast from her country to qualify for the Olympic Games, the network said — took a knee, tilted her head back, placed her left hand behind her, and raised her right fist.

Costa Rican gymnast Luciana Alvarado concluded her Olympics floor routine by taking a knee in support of the Black… https://t.co/b9jtlmehzB

— ABC News (@ABC) 1627334801.0

More from NBC News:

The 18-year-old's demonstration is the first of its kind on an international stage in elite gymnastics, according to NBC Olympics. Alvarado said the end of her routine was choreographed to highlight the importance of equal rights on a global stage, as she told The Associated Press after performing the move.

"Because we're all the same," she said, according to the network, "and we're all beautiful and amazing."

Alvarado also noted that she hoped to do "something that brings everyone together" in order to bolster the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect and recognizing everyone has the same rights, NBC News said.

She Understood the Assignment! Luciana Alvarado became the first Costa Rican gymnast to qualify for the Olympics a… https://t.co/WbN0O9tnQR

— Leon Carrington (@LeonCarrington) 1627409737.0

How are folks reacting?

The network said although Alvarado's 12.166 score didn't push her into the finals, observers have been lauding her online for her BLM tribute:

  • "Costa Rica should be so proud!" one commenter noted. "She deserves her own Gold Medal for courage and bravery!"
  • "Special shout out to #LucianaAlvarado," another user said. "She is a breath of fresh air."
  • "WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO SEE IT," another commenter declared.
  • "Luciana Alvarado you are wonderful," another user said.
  • "AHHHH Luciana Alvarado is fantastic," another commenter wrote. "This is the first time I've seen her compete, and I just instantly became a big fan."
  • "I cannot help but feel proud," another user noted in Spanish, NBC News said. "Congratulations #LucianaAlvarado, who has moved us with her final #blacklivesmatter."