A 52-year-old American man with a history of migraines presented with worsening symptoms, without possible medical relief. Parasitic larvae were discovered in his brain, likely from his consumption of undercooked bacon.
How do you eat your bacon? According to Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration In the United States, it is best to cook pork to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 63°C). In a report released last week, theAmerican Journal of Case Reports reports a 52-year-old American who did not respect these precautions, having a preference for “ undercooked and uncrispy bacon ”, which he ate for most of his life. However, larvae of Taenia solium – A tapewormtapeworm which normally infects pigs – were found in several regions of his brain after several weeks of intense migraines unresponsive to medication.
A rare case of neurocysticercosis
Most often, the consumption of larvaelarvae of T. solium causes a disease called taeniasis, in which cysts of the worm larvae accumulate in the intestines. When cysts establish themselves in other tissues, such as muscle or the brain, it is called cysticercosis. Here, as the cysts have become embedded in the nervous system, we even speak of neurocysticercosis. The case is intriguing because the American had not traveled and lived in a “modern” house. “ It is very rare for patients to contract neurocysticercosis outside of conventional exposure or travel, and such cases were thought to not exist in the United States. », Write the authors in their report. According to the hypothesis put forward by doctors, the man first developed taeniasis due to his eating habits, then cysticercosis by not washing his hands properly after going to the toilet.
The patient survived the brain infection with antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory medications. These treatments reduced the size of the parasitic lesions and improved his headaches.
