This man suffered from terrible migraines. He had tapeworm larvae in his brain. the case? Undercooked bacon

Doctors have identified the source of the man's migraines: tapeworm larvae in his brain, likely from undercooked bacon. It was an infection called neurocysticercosis. The arrows in the image point to tapeworm larval cysts.

A man from Florida, USA, suffered from severe migraines and had parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain, according to a doctor. a report It was published this month in the American Journal of Case Reports. Doctors believed the tapeworm infection arose from his habit of eating undercooked bacon.

The unidentified 52-year-old initially went to the doctor because his migraines suddenly worsened over the course of four months. It occurred almost weekly, was extremely painful and did not respond to medications, according to the report.

The doctor ordered a CT scan, which revealed multiple cysts — fluid-filled sacs — throughout his brain. Initially suspecting he might have a rare neurological disease called congenital neuroglial cysts, doctors admitted him to an Orlando hospital to see a neurosurgeon.

The report said that further laboratory and imaging tests at the hospital showed that these cysts were the larvae of a parasitic tapeworm that had settled in his brain and caused an infection called neurocysticercosis.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection that occurs when a person ingests tapeworm eggs from the stool of a person infected with intestinal tapeworm. The tapeworm eggs then turn into larval cysts that can infect the brain, muscles or other tissues, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Neurocysticercosis is a form of the disease in which larvae infect the brain. It is the leading cause of seizures in adults in low-income countries with poor sanitation and pigs, according to the CDC, the United States' disease center.

In this case, the man did not exhibit typical risk factors: he had not traveled to high-risk areas, had no close contact with pigs and did not live in an area with poor sanitary conditions. However, he admitted that he had been in the habit of eating “undercooked, non-crispy bacon for most of his life,” according to the report.

Investigators concluded that the man likely contracted the parasite through “self-infection.” He may have contracted the intestinal tapeworm, called taeniasis, by eating undercooked bacon that contained larval cysts, and then, after washing his hands inadequately, ate the tapeworm eggs he excreted in his feces, resulting in neurocysticercosis .

“One can only speculate,” the report says, “but given our patient’s penchant for eating undercooked pork and his history of benign exposure, we believe that cysticercosis was transmitted by self-infection following improper hand washing after he himself had been infected.” “Taeniasis was caused by his eating habits.” .

The man was treated with steroids and antiparasitic agents. According to the report, the headaches he was suffering from improved and the cysts in his brain shrank.

Neurocysticercosis is rare in the United States and is preventable, according to the CDC. People can avoid intestinal tapeworm infection by cooking meat to safe temperatures. Cysticercosis can be prevented by washing your hands properly after using the bathroom and before handling food.