When Chronic Migraine Pain Turned Out To Be Worm Eggs In Florida Man's Brain

The 52-year-old went to the hospital complaining that his migraines had started to occur weekly; a CT scan showed a 'mass' in his brain. An MRI and other tests confirmed these masses were not just cysts but, in fact, the larvae of tapeworms.

What are the chances that a seemingly-innocuous and regular headache turns out to be something sinister and disgusting? It happened to a man in the US recently. The Florida-based man had sought treatment for his 'chronic, worsening migraines', which doctors discovered to be eggs of a worm in his brain that caused him immense pain. According to a report published in the 'American Journal of Case Reports' (AJCR), the 52-year-old unnamed man went to the hospital complaining that his migraines had started to occur weekly; a CT scan showed a 'mass' in his brain that doctors initially thought were 'congenital neuroglial cysts'. While the patient was admitted to the hospital, an MRI and other tests confirmed these masses were not just cysts but, in fact, the larvae of tapeworms. Read on to find out more.

A Case Of Cysticercosis

It turned out to be a case of cysticercosis which, according to the AJCR, is a condition caused by infection with the larval form of Taenia solium -- a pork tapeworm that uses pigs as an intermediate host. Humans become infected when they consume water or food contaminated with tapeworm cysts.

AJCR explains that neurocysticercosis occurs when Taenia solium cysts 'embed within the nervous system'. The clinical presentation of neurocysticercosis can range from asymptomatic to life-threatening. Its diagnosis is typically made with a combination of 'clinical evaluation, serology, and neuroimaging', and treatment may involve 'anthelmintic agents', 'symptomatic agents', 'surgery', or a 'combination of methods'.

What Happened To The Patient?

• The man had a medical history of migraine headaches;
• Complicated type-2 diabetes mellitus;
• Obesity, presented with a 4-month change in his migraines becoming severe and worse.

The report adds that his exposure history was 'unremarkable', except for a habit of eating 'undercooked bacon', which may explain how he developed neurocysticercosis via autoinfection. While the man 'denied eating raw or street food', the report states he 'admitted to a habit of eating lightly cooked, non-crispy bacon for most of his life'. Doctors believe this to be the source of his infection.

"It can only be speculated, but given our patient's predilection for undercooked pork and benign exposure history, we favour his cysticercosis was transmitted via autoinfection after improper handwashing after he had contracted taeniasis himself from his eating habits," it reads.

Treatment

His treatment included antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory medications.

How Does The Parasite End Up In The Brain?

According to the CDC, a person gets neurocysticercosis by swallowing microscopic eggs passed in the feces of a person who has an intestinal pork tapeworm.

"For example, a person eats undercooked, infected pork and gets a tapeworm infection in the intestines. She passes tapeworm eggs in her feces. If she doesn't wash her hands properly after using the bathroom, she may contaminate food or surfaces with feces containing these eggs. These eggs may be swallowed by another person if they eat contaminated food. Once inside the body, the eggs hatch and become larvae that find their way to the brain. These larvae cause neurocysticercosis," it explained.