> The finding surprised the doctors since tapeworms aren’t endemic to Spain and he said he hadn’t traveled. However, the man may have been exposed during his work. Until 10-years prior, when he retired, he had worked in construction, often working alongside people who had migrated from regions where pork tapeworms (Taenia solium) are endemic. The parasitic worms can spread through the fecal-oral route. His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.
You are right about pork especially in foreign countries where no health standards parasites are known to exist in pork not to mention meningitis from pork as well.
This is a big fear of mine. I have a course of albendazole once every year just for this. It is de facto over the counter in India. I bought enough to last 4 years, the last time I was there.
I have often thought it might be a wise idea to do some form of prophylactic course against parasitic infections given my extensive travels, but this isn't something that's generally recommended here in the US and I've yet to meet a doctor who would be willing to prescribe deworming without evidence of an active infection. Is this something that's common in India?
the american medical system claims parasites are more uncommon than being struck by lightning, yet we see how easily pets spread worms to each other. i cant help but assume there is some hidden motive in gaslighting people that pets can get worms and spread them to each other but not to the owners they live with.
Presumably what they had available. Since MRI machines (and qualified technicians) are much more expensive, it's not uncommon for smaller facilities to rely on mobile MRIs which aren't on-site every day.
The brain is remarkably good at recovering from injury and mapping functions around damaged areas. There have been dozens of reported cases of massive one time injuries that people are able to recover from. Kill the worms and I bet he makes a full recovery.
> NCC can be serious, causing seizures, significant neurological deficits, cognitive decline, stroke, and other problems. But it can also be asymptomatic. The severity depends on where in the brain the worms settle. Luckily for the man, the effects were relatively mild. Doctors prescribed him two anti-parasitic drugs, and he recovered.
> We treated the patient successfully with albendazole (400 mg 2×/d) and praziquantel (1,200 mg 3×/d), alongside dexamethasone taper, without complications.
they slowly decay and the immune system removes the remains. it can cause a toxicity shock called the herxheimer effect, the body often has symptoms when removing decaying foreign matter and the stored toxins they release. often parasite decomposition results in a sudden release of heavy metals and other things which accumulate in parasites. people try to use binding agents to aid in detoxing during this time to minimize fever and joint swelling and other signs of severe inflammation.
> The finding surprised the doctors since tapeworms aren’t endemic to Spain and he said he hadn’t traveled. However, the man may have been exposed during his work. Until 10-years prior, when he retired, he had worked in construction, often working alongside people who had migrated from regions where pork tapeworms (Taenia solium) are endemic. The parasitic worms can spread through the fecal-oral route. His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.
yikes
You are right about pork especially in foreign countries where no health standards parasites are known to exist in pork not to mention meningitis from pork as well.
[dead]
That's pretty much the only way norovirus spreads, and it's common enough to kill ~200,000 people a year.
Moral of the story, eating shit and undercooked meat come with risks.
[flagged]
[dead]
[flagged]
Where did you/your ancestors migrate from, and did any of them do any work at any point?
This is a big fear of mine. I have a course of albendazole once every year just for this. It is de facto over the counter in India. I bought enough to last 4 years, the last time I was there.
Do you take it even if you don't have any symptoms?
Yes. 400mg prophylactic dose, once every year.
I have often thought it might be a wise idea to do some form of prophylactic course against parasitic infections given my extensive travels, but this isn't something that's generally recommended here in the US and I've yet to meet a doctor who would be willing to prescribe deworming without evidence of an active infection. Is this something that's common in India?
AFAIK there is no prophylactic for pork tapeworms. I'd love to be proven wrong.
the american medical system claims parasites are more uncommon than being struck by lightning, yet we see how easily pets spread worms to each other. i cant help but assume there is some hidden motive in gaslighting people that pets can get worms and spread them to each other but not to the owners they live with.
But actually, it was lupus
And the throat incision clip
Sounds like a Dr. House episode.
The first one specifically: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_(House)
Why did they use CT before MRI?
Presumably what they had available. Since MRI machines (and qualified technicians) are much more expensive, it's not uncommon for smaller facilities to rely on mobile MRIs which aren't on-site every day.
if the worms are in the brain the man is likely not fine and won't ever be like before
The brain is remarkably good at recovering from injury and mapping functions around damaged areas. There have been dozens of reported cases of massive one time injuries that people are able to recover from. Kill the worms and I bet he makes a full recovery.
Half the time, there aren't any symptoms at all: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4621219/
I guess the symptoms might be super hard to identify. llike a cognitive decline on some functions.
Ok, and what happened to the man after? Did they remove it? Was he ok and back to normal or forever damaged?
> NCC can be serious, causing seizures, significant neurological deficits, cognitive decline, stroke, and other problems. But it can also be asymptomatic. The severity depends on where in the brain the worms settle. Luckily for the man, the effects were relatively mild. Doctors prescribed him two anti-parasitic drugs, and he recovered.
and here is the actual case report: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/7/26-0587_article
> We treated the patient successfully with albendazole (400 mg 2×/d) and praziquantel (1,200 mg 3×/d), alongside dexamethasone taper, without complications.
Thanks and glade he made it!
Do the worms disappear after these drugs? Or they just die and are left in the brain?
they slowly decay and the immune system removes the remains. it can cause a toxicity shock called the herxheimer effect, the body often has symptoms when removing decaying foreign matter and the stored toxins they release. often parasite decomposition results in a sudden release of heavy metals and other things which accumulate in parasites. people try to use binding agents to aid in detoxing during this time to minimize fever and joint swelling and other signs of severe inflammation.