Parasitic larvae discovered after unexplained weekly migraines failed to respond to medication

Mmmm…forbidden worms…

  • brbposting@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    441·
    8 months ago

    unidentified 52-year-old American man

    experiencing weekly migraines…unresponsive to medication.

    denied traveling to “high-risk areas…lived at home with his wife and cat in a modern home”

    the man revealed that he did have a preference for “lightly cooked, non-crispy bacon” which he ate for most of his life.

    diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, a preventable parasitic infection caused by larval systems from the pork tapeworm Taenia solium.

    “…cysticercosis was transmitted via autoinfection after improper handwashing after he had contracted taeniasis himself from his eating habits,” researchers said.

    prescribed

    drugs, but

    “The treatment of neurocysticercosis is controversial. … there is concern that most of the inflammation occurs when the cysts are killed, giving some clinicians pause when considering treatment. …”

    Patient went for it anyway and treatment was successful!

    Infected pork -> cold fry pan -> mouth -> toilet -> no hand wash -> eggs back to mouth -> larvae in brain

    Oof!

    • prof@infosec.pubEnglish
      40·
      8 months ago

      Cook your food, wash your hands, people. That’s just life 101.

      Thanks for the write up!

    • ReallyZen@lemmy.mlEnglish
      7·
      8 months ago

      Infected pork

      Yeah, this - in Belgium, we eat raw pork all the time (search for “préparé du chef” by supermarket brand “carrefour dot be”, 40% raw pork). And not all of us are worm-devoured brainless zombies, last time I checked.

      Same with raw beef, fish, even water (salmonella anyone?): strong regulations at every step of the production line makes the customer safe.

      Gosh I love myself a thick slice of bread with a fat lump of ground raw pork on it. Just add salt and pepper.

      I’m hungry now, fuck you brain worm!

      • brbposting@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        4·
        8 months ago

        Bet it tastes great, although visual appeal isn’t entirely there.

        You might’ve had steak tartare at some point? One of the most delicious things to have ever entered my mouth :) (sorry to the cows & environment, rare treat!)

        • ReallyZen@lemmy.mlEnglish
          3·
          8 months ago

          Yup, two days ago actually. Perfect with capers, Worcestershire sauce, raw (again!) onions, Tabasco sauce, egg yolk (guess what? Yes, uncooked), parsley and salt/pepper. Edit: Oh, don’t forget the mustard!

          In Brussels a tartare with French fries is called an Américain Frites, and is next to Mussels as Belgian National Dish.

          One of my all-time favorite as well, will have it anytime it is safe to have. Like with fish! There are delicious recipes with fish! Carpaccio, Laap Pa (Laos)… that you better be careful around but are so, so good.

          TMI: so the “Américain” in Belgium is raw ground beef, but in France is a sandwich with French fries added in the bread. French people are weird. In Belgium, if you ask for French fries in your sandwich, it is called a “mitraillette” ; I’ll let you find the translation, Belgians can be weird too.

    • underisk@lemmy.mlEnglish
      6·
      8 months ago

      so this means he also had a colony of tapeworms going to town in his intestines in addition to the literal brain worms?

    • oleorunOPMAEnglish
      13·
      8 months ago

      Yeah, he undercooked it significantly per the article, and he ate it that way very frequently.

    • Breezy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      8 months ago

      I like to get the real thick bacon, twist it up on a pan sprinkle some spices on it, then put it in the oven at 250 for a couple hours. It makes delicious non crispy bacon, and it makes the best bacon grease for other dishes too! Its definitely not for everyone, but if you like flimsy bacon the slow cook method is just great! But i will say none of what i make is undercooked, hence the two hour cook time. Does lower temps kill worms even at longer times? Maan idk, i dont eat bacon but every couple months, shits supper unhealthy. But tasty.

      • MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        3·
        8 months ago

        To answer your question, yes. The temperature you need to get the food to isn’t actually all that high. The trick is to make sure every bit of it gets there, and yes, for long enough to kill the bad shit.

      • skulkingaround@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        8 months ago

        Generally, all meat is safe when cooked to an internal temp of 165, assuming it’s not spoiled. Cooking kills bacteria and parasites but it doesn’t get rid of all toxins they might have produced. You can get away with lower temperatures if you cook it longer or with certain meats. Pork, poultry, or anything ground you definitely don’t want to undercook.

        The FDA has a lot of good info if you search for it.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    8·
    8 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Parasitic tapeworm larvae have been found in a man’s brain following weeks of worsening migraines, which researchers believe were caused by his consumption of undercooked bacon.

    Following a CT scan on the man, Florida researchers found numerous fluid-filled sacs, or cystic foci, in his brain.

    “It can only be speculated, but given our patient’s predilection for undercooked pork and benign exposure history, we favor that his cysticercosis was transmitted via autoinfection after improper handwashing after he had contracted taeniasis himself from his eating habits,” researchers said.

    Antiparasitic drugs such as praziquantel or albendazole have sufficient activity against Taenia solium, but there is concern that most of the inflammation occurs when the cysts are killed, giving some clinicians pause when considering treatment.

    Although the disease occurs globally, its highest rates of infection are found in areas of Latin America, Asia and Africa that have poor sanitation and free-ranging pigs with access to human feces, the CDC reports.

    It adds that there are an estimated 1,000 new hospitalizations for neurocysticercosis in the US each year, with cases more frequently reported in New York, California, Texas, Oregon and Illinois.

    The original article contains 545 words, the summary contains 186 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • hangukdise@lemmy.mlEnglish
    8·
    8 months ago

    The real question everyone is not talking about is the overall safety of pork products in the USA as tapeworm infections in pork meat should be detected and the meat discarded at the processing plants

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
      8·
      8 months ago

      USA

      Should be

      You answered your own question. It’s the USA, money goes before anything else

    • Raiderkev@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      I’m sure the pork products from the Chinese company that owns Smithfield are totally safe.