A two-year-old Brazilian boy has as many as 50 metal sewing needles inside his body, and a doctor treating the boy said Wednesday they were apparently stuck there one by one.

Dr. Luiz Cesar Soltoski told The Associated Press that surgeons hope to remove most of the needles — some as long as five centimetres — but because some are stuck in his lungs, they have to wait until the child's breathing improves.

'We think it could have only been by penetration because we found needles in the lung, the left leg and in different parts of the thorax.'— Dr. Luiz Cesar Soltoski

Some cannot be removed; they are too close to vital organs or actually inside them, Soltoski said.

The boy's mother, a maid, brought him to a hospital in the small northeastern city of Ibotirama on Thursday, saying he was complaining of pain. Three days later, after X-rays revealed some of the needles, doctors had him shifted to a larger hospital in Barreiras.

The mother told police she doesn't know how the needles got inside her son, but police have opened an investigation. The boy's name was withheld because of his age.

The boy's father, Gessivaldo Alves, told Brazil's A Tarde newspaper that he believes his son could have been a victim of a "black magic ritual." Alves said he visited the home where the boy was living with his mother and stepfather and found unspecified items that could be used for such a ritual, A Tarde reported.

Police statements so far have not mentioned a possible cause for the needles and the police inspector in charge of the case, Helder Fernandes Santana, did not immediately return telephone messages left Wednesday seeking comment.

Soltoski said he believes the needles were stuck into the child's body one by one because it would have been impossible for him to swallow them.

"We think it could have only been by penetration because we found needles in the lung, the left leg and in different parts of the thorax. It couldn't have been by ingestion," Soltoski said.

Doctors found no signs of outside wounds on the boy, but X-ray images carried by Brazilian Web sites clearly showed some of the needles inside his body.

The boy is in intensive care, but Soltoski said his condition has improved since he was admitted.