Written By: Prerna Mittra | Updated : August 30, 2024 12:30 PM IST
It is important to thoroughly clean and cook meat products, especially pork. (Photo: Freepik)
Doctors often come across many strange cases in their practice, some of which are particularly unnerving. Taking to 'X' (formerly Twitter), a doctor shared a shocking scan image of a patient, who had been hospitalised after eating undercooked meat. The lower-body scan showed the patient's leg and pelvic bones, along with what appeared to be little white specks that looked like rice grains.
Calling it "one of the craziest CT scans I've ever seen", Dr Sam Ghali -- an ER doctor dealing with cases needing resuscitation, airway help, cardiovascular emergencies, ECGs, emergency radiology, trauma and critical care -- from the University of Florida Health Jacksonville wrote on 'X' earlier this week that the patient had to be hospitalised after eating under-prepared pork.
According to Dr Ghali -- who talks about medical emergencies all the time in order to raise awareness -- the patient had been diagnosed with a case of 'cysticercosis'.
Here's one of the craziest CT scans I've ever seen
What's the diagnosis? pic.twitter.com/DSJmPfCy9L Sam Ghali, M.D. (@EM_RESUS) August 25, 2024
Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection caused by the pork tapeworm 'Taenia solium'. It happens when the tapeworm's larvae infect human tissues and form cysts in the body. So, the CT scan in this case, actually showed the patient's leg muscles being riddled with parasitic infection.
Cysticercosis happens in the following stages:
Symptoms may vary depending on the location and the number of cysts. Usually, they include:
"...humans become infected with T. solium by ingesting cysts that can be found in undercooked pork. After several weeks (usually around 5-12) these cysts evolve within the gastrointestinal tract into mature adult tapeworms. This condition is known as intestinal taeniasis," Dr Ghali explained in his post.
He added that adult tapeworms shed eggs that get excreted into human feces. "It's very important to note that it is only when these eggs are ingested via fecal-oral transmission that one can develop the clinical syndrome known as cysticercosis!"
According to the doctor, after the eggs are ingested (humans or pigs), they release larvae that penetrate the intestinal wall and invade into the bloodstream. "...and from there can spread to literally anywhere in the entire body. The brain, eyes, subcutaneous tissues, and skeletal muscles are the most common destinations. The larvae lodge wherever [they] end up and ultimately form cysts known as 'cysticerci'."
Dr Ghali shared with his followers that the host's 'inflammatory response' typically ends up 'killing off the cysts' that undergo 'calcification'. It gives the "classic appearance you can appreciate on this CT scan. These are commonly referred to as 'rice grain calcifications'."
According to the doctor, it can be really bad for the host when the larvae travels to the brain and forms cysts. This condition is called 'neurocysticercosis' and it can lead to 'headaches, confusion, seizures, and other serious neurologic problems'.
Treatment options may include steroids, anti-parasitic therapy, antiepileptics for neurocysticercosis, and surgical removal, Dr Ghali stated.
Prevention is key. To avoid cysticercosis:
