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Parasitic larvae were found in the brain of a man in his 50s who regularly ate undercooked bacon, according to a newly reported case.
The British Daily Mail reported Wednesday that a 52-year-old man, identified only as Patient A, had parasitic larvae in his brain and had habitually eaten undercooked bacon. The case was published in the American Journal of Case Reports.
Patient A had experienced increasingly frequent and severe headaches for four months before seeking treatment. The headaches occurred nearly every week and did not improve with his existing medication.
A CT scan revealed multiple fluid-filled cysts scattered throughout the white matter, the brain's neural connectivity network.
Unable to immediately identify the nature of the cysts, doctors admitted the patient for further testing.
Blood tests came back normal, but an MRI scan revealed swelling that could raise intracranial pressure.
Suspecting neurocysticercosis — a condition in which pork tapeworm larvae infect the brain — doctors referred the patient to an infectious disease specialist, who confirmed the diagnosis through additional tests. The disease occurs when a person ingests pork tapeworm larvae through infected pork or fecal matter.
Patient A said he had no unusual international travel history other than a cruise to the Bahamas two years earlier and had not eaten any raw food. However, he told doctors that he had eaten undercooked, non-crispy bacon his entire life.
Researchers identified his habit of eating undercooked bacon as the likely source of the infection.
However, they noted that consuming undercooked bacon alone would more likely cause taeniasis — an intestinal tapeworm infection — before leading to a brain infection.
"It appears the patient first contracted an intestinal tapeworm through his dietary habits, and the parasite then spread to the brain through autoinfection via fecal matter, likely due to inadequate handwashing," the researchers said. They explained that after the tapeworm established itself in the intestine, reinfection occurred through hand-to-mouth contact, allowing the parasite to reach the brain.
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