Chinese Man Contracts Deadly Tapeworm Larvae After Eating Undercooked Pork; What Is Neurocysticercosis?

In a recent case, a man had his brain infested with tapeworm larvae after eating undercooked hot pot meal. The Chinese resident was taken to the hospital after he was exhibiting neurological symptoms such as epilepsy-like episodes, headaches, dizziness, mouth foaming and limb twitching, as per reports from TWP. The man from the eastern province of Zhejiang is 46 -year-old. He managed to explain to his medic that the symptoms began a month ago after eating pork and mutton in a homemade hot pot meal. Tapeworm in US Woman’s Brain Shocks Doctors Who Thought it Was A Tumour; How Do Parasites Enter the Brain?

Initially an MRI was performed by the doctors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University Medical College, to get a clear picture of what was happening and turned out that there were several lesions in his brain.  It was diagnosed by the medics that he had neurocysticercosis that is a serious condition affecting the central nervous system.  Doctors figured that it was probably the meat he had eaten was tainted with tapeworm larvae. The larvae sustained the cooking because it was not enough to kill it. As per reports, the man had confessed that he had "only simmered the meat a little."

What Is Neurocysticercosis?

The neurological condition, is caused by a parasitic infection in the central nervous system. The condition is preventable because it is caused by eating undercooked meat, especially pork. Sometimes one can contract the infection via water contaminated with tapeworm eggs or poor hygiene practices.  the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium infests human and can survive inside the human body.  As per WHO, Taeniasis is the intestinal infection of the adult tapeworm and if left untreated, it can cause a more serious condition known as cysticercosis develops as T. solium larvae invade body tissues. After this when larvae build up in the central nervous system, muscles, skin and eyes, neurocysticercosis, the most severe form of the disease are caused. Neurocysticercosis is also said to be the most common cause of seizures worldwide.

The treatment of neurocysticercosis involves tackling the symptoms initially via various therapy. Usually, antiepileptic drug therapy is given to patients if they exhibit the symptoms of seizures. As per the research, about 30 percent of cases are curable while the rest may still show symptoms. In the man's case, reports say that he has recovered now after responding well to the treatment.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 28, 2019 01:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).