Hidden Epidemic: Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains

CodeCube wrote: post #3

Good god, that is horrifying. Did I miss it, or did the article not say how one contracts this? I think I'll steer clear of the pork chops today.

You missed it, though it wasn't explicit:

>"The eggs are shed in the infected person’s feces. Pigs swallow these eggs accidentally as they rummage for food on the ground. When the parasite eggs reach a pig’s stomach, larvae hatch and burrow their way into the animal’s bloodstream. Eventually they end up lodged in small blood vessels, typically in the animal’s muscles. There they form cysts and wait until their host is eaten by a human. (Pork has to be undercooked for the tapeworms to complete their journey.)"

They link Wikipedia which is no more explicit:

>"They are infected by eating undercooked pork that contains viable cysticerci."

Re: Hidden Epidemic: Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains

#7

Post by bryze » Wed, May 16, 2012, 4:55 PM UTC

CodeCube wrote: post #3

Good god, that is horrifying. Did I miss it, or did the article not say how one contracts this? I think I'll steer clear of the pork chops today.

Seems like avoiding undercooked pork and fecal contamination should do it.

Re: Hidden Epidemic: Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains

#8

Post by yaix » Wed, May 16, 2012, 4:56 PM UTC

There is a BBC documentary called "Parasites" about the topic. It includes some cases of cysts and other larvae in the brain, and many more interesting cases of animals living inside humans.

Re: Hidden Epidemic: Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains

#9

Post by udp » Wed, May 16, 2012, 4:57 PM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #6

CodeCube wrote: post #3

Good god, that is horrifying. Did I miss it, or did the article not say how one contracts this? I think I'll steer clear of the pork chops today.

You missed it, though it wasn't explicit: >" The eggs are shed in the infected person’s feces. Pigs swallow these eggs accidentally as they rummage for food on the ground. When the parasite eggs reach a pig’s stomach, larvae hatch and burrow their way into the animal’s bloodstream. Eventually they end up lodged in small blood vessels, typically in the animal’s muscles. There they form cysts and wait until their host…

Even the thought of eating cooked cysts is enough to put me off pork.

Re: Hidden Epidemic: Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains

#10

Post by niels_olson » Wed, May 16, 2012, 4:59 PM UTC

The odds of a hacker in the US developing neurocysticercosis is approximately nil. If you would like to promote a slightly more relevant topic for your compadres, please consider upvoting my letter to a patient: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3982796