A 60-year-old man in Spain was diagnosed with a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), after doctors initially thought he had metastatic brain cancer.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The man, a lifelong resident of Castellón, Spain, had not traveled to any regions where the disease is endemic. He had come to the hospital after suffering two weeks of progressive headaches and mild behavioral changes.
CT scans showed multiple abnormal spots that looked like tumors that had spread from cancer elsewhere in the body, leading doctors to suspect advanced brain cancer. However, whole-body scans, a colonoscopy, and specialized imaging failed to identify cancer anywhere in the patient’s body.
A more detailed MRI discovered several fluid-filled cysts in the brain, some of which contained the head of a tapeworm. A blood test confirmed the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.
The man was treated with a combination of albendazole and praziquantel (two antiparasitic medications), as well as corticosteroids to reduce inflammation. He successfully recovered with no complications.
Cause and Prevention
People can catch the pork tapeworm in two different ways. Eating undercooked infected pork usually leads to an intestinal tapeworm, but accidentally swallowing the parasite’s eggs — typically through food or water contaminated with feces — can send the larvae into the bloodstream, where they may form cysts in the brain and other organs.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
