‘Am I Gonna Get Sick?’: Woman Discovers a Worm in Her McDonald’s Coke
A Virginia woman says she found what appeared to be a worm in her Coke, but questions remain about how it got there and whether it posed a health risk.
A Virginia woman says she discovered what appeared to be a worm in her McDonald’s Coke, prompting her to contact the health department and worry about whether drinking from the cup could make her sick. Mattie (@mattieandapple) shared the experience on TikTok, where she described the discovery as her “worst nightmare.”
According to Mattie, she had been drinking the Coke from a McDonald’s in Ashburn, Virginia, when she noticed something unusual inside the cup. She said she was drinking the soda in the dark and initially did not notice material on the side of the cup, but eventually saw what she believed was a worm floating in the drink.
“I’m literally crying and throwing up because I was drinking my Coke from McDonald’s and there’s a f****** earthworm in it,” Mattie said in the video. She later said she and another person removed pieces of the creature from the cup and identified it as what she called a “sludge worm,” although its exact species has not been independently established.
Mattie says she did not blame the McDonald’s employees
After discovering the worm, Mattie said she and another person contacted the health department and returned to the McDonald’s with the cup. She said she did not believe the employees were intentionally responsible for what happened, pointing instead to the possibility of a problem with the restaurant’s plumbing, drainage, or soda equipment.
As mentioned in a report originally commented on by BroBible, a health inspector noted damaged tiles and recent flooding at the location, which could have allowed water to enter components of the soda machine. The restaurant reportedly contacted pest control following the incident.
Mattie also said she had been trying to contact McDonald’s about the incident but had struggled to find a direct corporate contact for the issue. McDonald’s provides a customer feedback system through its website, although Mattie said she did not received the response she was looking for.
The incident has not established exactly how the suspected worm entered the drink. The video shows the object inside the cup, but its species and the precise source of the contamination remain unclear.
Could drinking a worm actually make someone sick?
Mattie said her biggest concern after the discovery was her health. She claimed she was unable to eat or drink normally for roughly 12 hours and continued feeling nauseated for about two days. She also said she contacted Poison Control after the incident.
Poison Control advises people to seek expert guidance after an unexpected exposure rather than trying to determine the risk themselves. Its online tool takes into account the substance or object involved, the amount, how the exposure occurred, and any symptoms.
There are documented cases of parasitic infections following earthworm ingestion, although those cases do not establish that the worm in Mattie’s drink carried a parasite. One published case involved a teenager who developed visceral larva migrans after intentionally swallowing an earthworm that carried Toxocara larvae. Researchers described the case as a rare example of an earthworm transmitting the parasite from contaminated soil.
Mattie said she was ultimately feeling fine. Although the experience left her questioning whether she would ever be able to enjoy a soda without thinking about what might be inside it.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
