This Man In Florida Had A Tapeworm In His Brain, And It Most Likely Came From His Consumption Of Undercooked Bacon
A 52-year-old man in Florida was living out everyone’s worst nightmare. In April of this year, he was admitted to the hospital for treatment of a life-threatening tapeworm that was found in his brain. The tapeworm had been causing severe migraines and was thought to have come from consuming undercooked bacon.
The patient had a medical history of migraines, obesity, and type 2 diabetes with complications. But over the past few months, he noticed his migraines worsening, and the medication he usually took for them wasn’t working.
So, he was admitted to the hospital, where he underwent a CT scan, an MRI, and comprehensive blood tests.
Doctors soon realized that he was suffering from neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection with the potential to be life-threatening.
It is caused by larval tapeworms in the brain. This particular tapeworm was Taenia solium, which is a parasite that is present in pigs. It can spread to humans through contaminated food and water.
“Taenia solium is not common in the United States,” Mario Madruga, the internal medicine residency program director at Orlando Health and one of the doctors involved in the case, said.
“It is more common in Mexico, Central America, and South America. States that have frequent travelers from these areas are more likely to have cases with this infection.”
The patient had no recent travel history or exposure to pigs on a farm, but he did have a habit of eating undercooked bacon.
Still, doctors say that simply eating undercooked bacon wouldn’t lead to a tapeworm infection. They believe he contracted the tapeworm himself by consuming undercooked bacon and then accidentally ingesting some of its eggs due to improper hygiene after using the bathroom.
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He was given anti-parasitics and an anti-inflammatory drug. Soon enough, he was discharged from the hospital.
His doctors noted that the presentation of the tapeworm in his brain could’ve been easily overlooked, especially since the patient had a history of migraines.
The symptoms of neurocysticercosis depend on where exactly the tapeworm is located in the brain. In 80 percent of cases, the most common presentation of neurocysticercosis is seizures.
This specific case may point to some underlying public health concerns, as infected pork is not usually found in the United States. The results of the case study were published in the American Journal of Case Reports.
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