Tapeworms in brain! Here's how parasitic worms infested a man's brain in US

Doctors got a nasty surprise when a man, who had visited the hospital complaining about migraines, was found to have an infestation of parasitic worms in hisbrain.

It was found that the 52-year-old man was infected with Taenia solium's larvae, which is a tapeworm that generally infects pigs.

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The parasite can also infect people who consume uncooked or partially cooked pork or the poop which contains the eggs of the worm.

As reported by the New York Post, the man sought medical help after an increase in the frequency of his aggressive headaches in the past four months.

In the scans, it was revealed that he had multiple cysts on both sides of his brain which eventually were found to be pork tapeworm eggs.

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It was reported that the man contracted the illness after he ate undercooked bacon. The doctors were able to find the cause after they were told about his ''lifelong preference for soft bacon.''

Microscopic eggs are likely to have entered the man's intestine which leads to the development of a tapeworm. He was diagnosed by the doctors as suffering from parasitic infection neurocysticercosis, which refers to a condition in which the parasite lays eggs and infects various regions of the body.

Historically unusual case leaves doctors shocked

The American Journal of Case Reports recently published the details of the ailment of the man. ''It is historically very unusual to encounter infected pork in the United States, and our case may have public health implications,'' wrote researchers.

The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and was injected with corticosteroid dexamethasone four times every day to decrease the swelling in his brain.

He was also administered albendazole and praziquantel for two weeks which is used for treating worm infections. After some time the cysts disappeared and there was improvement in his migraines.

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''A 52-year-old man with a medical history of migraine headaches, complicated type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity presented with a 4-month change in his migraines becoming severe, worse over his occiput bilaterally, and unresponsive to abortive therapy," the details of the case read.

"His exposure history was unremarkable except for a habit of eating undercooked bacon, by which he would have developed neurocysticercosis via autoinfection. Neuroimaging and serology confirmed a diagnosis of neurocysticercosis and he was treated accordingly with antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory medications,'' it added.

(With inputs from agencies)