Bacon is something that has gained a lot of attention in recent years. It seems as if everybody loves it, but now there is a reason why you might want to avoid it, at least if it is not cooked properly.
A man in Florida began suffering from severe migraine headaches so he went to the hospital. Those headaches were happening every week and he was only 52 years old.
When the doctors did a CT scan, they found a mass and thought he had congenital neuroglial cysts. Further tests, however, revealed that he actually had tapeworm larva living in his brain.
After the patient was admitted to the hospital, they performed additional tests and discovered that the tapeworm larva were indeed in his brain. It was a confirmed case of neurocysticercosis, which is extremely dangerous and potentially deadly.
Neurocysticercosis occurs due to a parasitic infection of pork tapeworm. The larva can infect different areas of the body, but when it affects the brain, it can result in seizures.
The CDC claims that neurocysticercosis is the most severe form of this disease that affects the brain. It doesn’t happen very often in the United States, and is often associated with travel outside of the country. In fact, it was thought that it didn’t take place in the United States because infected pork is not typically found within its borders.
The report went on to reveal that the man regularly ate lightly cooked bacon during his lifetime. Doctors said that he may have gotten the infection as a result of undercooked bacon consumption.
Fortunately, he was able to be treated with an antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory medicine. He was then advised to follow-up with an infectious disease clinic for additional treatment.