All because of an undercooked piece of bacon.
An American from Florida underwent surgery after worms were located in his brain, announced the American Journal of Case Reports in a report published this Thursday, March 7.
As the American scientific publication explains, the discovery took place in November, when the patient, suffering from chronic migraines, obesity and diabetes, ended up consulting a specialist due to the worsening of his health. since the summer.
In four months, his migraines had suddenly become more intense.
Worms that can reach several meters in length
After ruling out a large number of pathologies, doctors ended up thinking about neurocysticercosis due to autoinfection: this disease is characterized by the presence of larvae in the brain.
But the patient had never been to a known risk area for this pathology.
His only trip outside the United States was two years ago and consisted of a stay in the Bahamas.
After questioning the 52-year-old man's lifestyle habits, it was established that this was caused by his tendency to eat very undercooked bacon, at least not enough to kill all the bacteria present there. .
Repeatedly ingesting undercooked bacon eventually exposed him to bacteria and larvae, which then nestled in his brain.
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A CT scan and serology confirmed the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis, since tapeworm larvae were identified in his brain.
These can then become worms several meters long once they reach adulthood.
The 50-year-old was treated accordingly with antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory drugs, specifies the American Journal of Case Reports.
A “very unusual case in the United States”
However, the scientists who treated this extremely rare case are very reassuring about the low exposure to the disease within the general population: "It is very rare for patients to contract neurocysticercosis outside of classic exposure or a travel, and it was believed that such cases did not exist in the United States,” the report’s findings detail.
“Consumption of undercooked pork is a theoretical risk factor for autoinoculation neurocysticercosis, as we suspected in this case,” but “it is historically very unusual to encounter infected pork in the United States.” -United ".
The occurrence of such a phenomenon may therefore raise questions in terms of food management and public health, specifies the American Journal of Case Reports.
Doctors call for vigilance and finally recommend that their colleagues not rule out the risk of neurcysticercosis in the event of a sudden worsening of migraines in a patient.