Live tapeworm pulled from
California man's brain!
Luis Ortiz a California
man was admitted to a hospital in Napa after he complained about the worst
headache of his life. A brain scan was done and his doctor discovered the larva
of a tapeworm and told him he had about 30 minutes to live. The tapeworm grew
inside a cyst that cut off circulation and water flow to the rest of his brain.
A surgery was carried out on his brain and the doctor pulled it out and to his
amazement the tapeworm was still wiggling.
The US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) reports larval cysts in the brain - neurocysticercosis -
develop after a person swallows microscopic eggs passed in the faeces of a
person who has an intestinal pork tapeworm. Once inside the body, those eggs
hatch and the worms can make their way to the brain. The CDC says approximately
1,000 people per year are hospitalized for neurocysticercosis and removal of
the larvae. Mr Ortiz is recovering after the surgery.
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