Tapeworm eggs found in brain of man who ate undercooked bacon

15 March 2024, 08:38 | Updated: 15 March 2024, 09:22

Humans become infected when they ingest water or food contaminated with tapeworm cysts
The 52-year-old man had medical history of migraines. Picture: American Journal of Case Reports

By Flaminia Luck

A man from the US - who had a habit of eating undercooked bacon - has been found with tapeworm eggs in his brain.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Scans revealed tapeworm larvae in the brain of the 52-year-old man who had a history of migraines, according to the American Journal of Case Reports.

The man, who is unnamed, admitted to a habit of eating "lightly cooked, non-crispy bacon" for most of his life.

He visited his doctor after his migraines recently became worse.

Scans showed the tapeworm larval cysts in his brain, which cause cysticercosis.

Cysticercosis is a condition caused by the the larval form of a pork tapeworm which use pigs as a host.

Humans become infected when they ingest water or food contaminated with tapeworm cysts, the journal states.

Doctors believe the man infected himself due to "improper handwashing".

"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," the journal stated.

The journal said the man has since made a full recovery after responding to anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory medication.

READ MORE: Ultra-processed food linked to 32 different health problems including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and early death

Neurocysticercosis is virtually nonexistent in areas of the world that have banned pork consumption, further highlighting the strong link between swine and this disease, the journal added.

Cysticercosis remains prevalent in modern Asia, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania, particularly in developing countries and areas where pigs are raised as primary food sources.

The man had no recent travel to endemic countries or contact with pigs.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Starmer, Trump and Putin.

'Once in a generation moment': Starmer warns against Europe-US division amid Russia-Ukraine peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and United States President Donald Trump (right).

US officials heading to Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia

Police in  Villach, Austria.

Boy, 14, killed and five injured after Syrian asylum seeker goes on knife rampage in Austrian town

Julie Buckley, 54, from the village of Christchurch in Cambridgeshire, has not been seen since late January.

Missing woman at centre of Cambridgeshire murder investigation named

Police at the scene after the car crashed into protesters.

Mother and her two-year-old daughter die after Munich attack where man ploughed car into crowd

Thousands attend the Pro-Palestinian demonstration held in London

Man arrested as thousands march to protest Trump's 'Riviera of the Middle East' Gaza plan

Partial lunar eclipse rising over Stonehenge, UK, on July 16th 2019

Rare 'blood moon' lunar eclipse is coming to the UK - here's how to see it

Ukraine war is the ‘front line’ for Europe and UK will up defence spending, Lammy says as Zelensky calls for European army

Ukraine war is ‘front line’ for Europe and UK will up defence spending, Lammy says as Zelensky calls for 'army of Europe'

Flag of the United Kingdom with surveillance camera and barbed wire

UK spending millions on ad campaign painting gloomy picture of Britain to deter Albanian immigrants

Flack, who was also known for presenting ITV's Love Island, took her own life on February 15 2020 at the age of 40.

Laura Whitmore shares heartbreaking final messages from Caroline Flack five years on from star's death

Exclusive
The former Deputy Foreign Secretary said: “Many countries in Europe are simply not spending anywhere near, in percentage terms, what America is spending.

UK needs to ‘spend less on welfare and more on defence’ to support Ukraine, former Shadow Foreign Secretary tells LBC

Craig and Lindsay Foreman

British couple on motorbike adventure held in Iran pictured for the first time as family break silence

The Jet2 plane was forced to divert.

Jet2 plane bound for UK makes emergency landing after passenger dies on board

he Philadelphia Eagles celebrate in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art during the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Championship Parade on February 14, 2025

Two women shot and injured during Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory parade, police say

Social media footage showed a man being kicked on the ground by his knife-wielding attacker.

Two charged by police after shock footage shows man kicked and spat at by knifeman after ‘burning Koran’ in London

Jannik Sinner

World tennis number one Jannik Sinner handed three-month ban for doping