Doctors Find Worm In Woman's Brain

Doctors Find Worm In Woman's Brain

www.foxnews.com

Doctors in Arizona thought a Phoenix-area woman had a possible brain tumor, but it turned out there was something else penetrating her brain – a worm.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I've never heard of this before except in strange zombie movies, etc.. I was wondering if anyone else has heard of this or is this something fairly unique. They say that it can be contracted from eating undercooked pork, or by not washing your hands after using the bathroom! I find that strange because I never wash my hands after using the bathroom (unless it gets a little sloppy) and I don't have a worm crawling around in my brain.. (or do I?) Anyway, there is no info on the type of worm this is, or how it got into her brain stem! This is absolutely insane!

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

“Once we saw the MRI we realized this is something not good,” neurosurgeon, Dr. Peter Nakaji told the news station. “It's something down in her brain stem which is as deep in the brain as you can be.”

Down in her brain stem... YIKES!

I was always taught that eating undercooked pork could give you trichanosis (sp?).

Anway, I was told this would cause worms to crawl around in my brain.

Not sure how true it was..

reply to post by gopher mines


wash your hands dude. This is a 1 line post.

Doesn't surprise me one bit...

adding this to my Insect Alien thread...

Our biggest enemy the little creatures... (yes I know a worm isn't technically a bug)

But still, this is exactly what i'm talking about

reply to post by gopher mines


This article made me feel faint. However, worms in the brain really isn't that uncommon. Not exactly often but not exactly rare, either. There's even been cases where a patient goes in for brain surgery, the skull cap is removed, and an actual worm infestation is discovered.

Yes, I'm definitely feeling faint.

It makes you wonder how many more people are walking around with an alien in their brain. Ok not the Sigourney Weaver type of alien, but still it is not supposed to be there.

Who knows how an intrusion like this might affect someone.
Clearly in the case of this woman it manifested itself in physical symptoms, but I wonder if this could result in bizarre or antisocial behavior?

If so, I have several co-workers whose craniums have no doubt been infiltrated.



And gopher mines. PLease, Wash your hands!!!!




[edit on 20-11-2008 by Sparky63]

You get them from pork or then eggs spread thru body, if hatch in brain start suck on brain. There is cure. But you can get liver flukes also they could go to brain or other weak, sick organ. Can get rid of flukes in about 5 days , those trickno things take about a month.

[edit on 20-11-2008 by googolplex]

Some info on the subject

brain worms

Seems it would be an ordinary ol tape worm

The cysts can even disguise themselves as part of the host’s body by displaying proteins on their surfaces that identify them as part of the host—much as Wile E. Coyote hides from Sam Sheepdog in a herd of sheep by wearing a sheepskin. Finally, the location of the cysts is itself conducive to escaping detection by the immune system. The brain is not easily accessible to the cells of the immune system due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier, and so the parasites are partially protected from random encounters with the body’s defenders. Only when the immune response is in full swing can the immune cells enter the brain in large numbers.

Happens not as rarely as we would like

What sounds like science fiction was all too real for Dawn Becerra, who found a parasitic worm lodged in her brain after eating a pork taco while vacationing in Mexico.

Doctors at Arizona's Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale believe the taco contained Taenia solium, a parasite that is surprisingly common in Latin American countries, and is often transmitted by eating undercooked pork.

Becerra said the snack made her ill for three weeks. And soon after, she began suffering seizures.

"I was tired and sick so it made it more difficult," she said. "I knew that this wasn't the way I wanted to live the rest of my life, with seizures."

She found that anti-seizure medication did not help her, and her condition worsened.

A Worm Inside Her Brain

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic discovered Becerra had neurocysticercosis - a lesion in her brain, caused by the parasitic worm.

Last November, she was told that if she wanted to live a normal, seizure-free life, she would need surgery.

As an egg, the worm attached itself to the intestinal wall, and eventually moved into her blood stream and to her brain, said Dr. Joseph Sirven, who operated on Becerra.

Once in the brain, the worm causes little harm until it eventually dies and decays, thereby inflaming surrounding tissue.

Does this remind anyone else of the Stargate TV series?

The Goa'old is an alien that attaches itself to the brain stem and takes over.

I highly doubt it is in this case... but just something I thought I would throw out there...

WARNING NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR STOMACH DO NOT LOOK IF SQUEEMISH

Not going to actually post Images... it's too much

This is sickening

Parasites of this type in full Bloom

You were warned

Parasites

[edit on 20-11-2008 by mopusvindictus]

They never said what kind of worm it was. So what exactly is this worm? I know you can get tape worms from eating undercooked pork but they don't park themselves in your brain stem. Very strange if you ask me. Makes me think of invasion of the body snatchers.

[edit on 11/20/2008 by CaptGizmo]

[edit on 11/20/2008 by CaptGizmo]

This reminds me of another type of parasite I read about:

Its called: Sacculina carcini
Its a tiny sea slug that invades the body of some unsuspecting crab and eventually takes over every part of the crabs body. In effect, forcing it to do its bidding.

HEre is a link:

www.neatorama.com...

The female feeds and grows until eventually she pops out of the top of the crab, and from this knobby protrusion, she will steer the Good Ship Unlucky Crab for the rest of their co-mingled life. Packed full of parasite, the crab will forgo its own needs to serve those of its master. It won’t molt, grow reproductive organs, or attempt to reproduce. It won’t even regrow appendages, as healthy crabs can. Rather than waste the nutrients on itself, a host crab will hobble along and continue to look for food with which to feed its parasite master.

Can you imagine if something like this developed the ability to infect humans?

I can attest to the legitimacy of this happening. My dad worked with a man who's wife actually died indirectly from parasitic worms in her brain. She was born & raised in Mexico and did stuff, like tasting raw ground up pork she was seasoning to see if she got the spices right, which we have always been taught not to do here. She started having horrible headaches and actually passed out one day and was taken to the ER. Long story short, they did an exploratory surgery on her brain after a CT scan showed multiple tumors. She actually did have cancer, but it was caused from the damage the worms had done.

Originally posted by mopusvindictus
WARNING NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR STOMACH DO NOT LOOK IF SQUEEMISH

Not going to actually post Images... it's too much

This is sickening

Parasites of this type in full Bloom

You were warned

Parasites

[edit on 20-11-2008 by mopusvindictus]

Man, I was eating my lunch...

reply to post by gopher mines


Better you fast once in a while my friend



I want those Images to replace the "Employees must wash hands signs at Restaurants across the country"

Originally posted by plug_pray
reply to post by gopher mines

 

wash your hands dude. This is a 1 line post.

Please!!!!!!!!

Not only for your own sake but those around you.

Wow!

This was the pilot episode of House! The woman had eaten pork. The worm larvae passed through her intestinal wall and ino her blood stream. It latched onto her brain stem . . . .


very very weird.

PILOT
EPISODE PREMIERE: November 16, 2004
SYNOPSIS:

A young woman named Rebecca is teaching her kindergarten class when she begins to have trouble speaking. Soon, she collapses on the floor and begins convulsing.

At the hospital, Dr. James Wilson, describes the case to Dr. House. Female, 29, first seizure one month ago, progressive deterioration of mental status. The doctor asks House to take this case and put his team to work on it.

House’s team consists of three young genius doctors: Allison Cameron, Robert Chase and Eric Foreman, all bored stiff by House’s lack of cases. After much persuasion, House agrees to look over the patient. Later, the hospital administrator, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, scolds House about not doing his job. Even though he has tenure, she can still let him go if he avoids his duties of seeing patients.

Cameron and Foreman give Rebecca a CT scan, but she has another seizure inside the machine. The doctors perform an emergency tracheotomy to facilitate breathing. Later, House wonders if Rebecca has vasculitis, or inflamed blood vessels. Allison points out that you can’t diagnose vasculitis without a biopsy. House recommends they give her steroids to treat it and just see what happens.

House suggests to Foreman that he break into Rebecca’s apartment to inspect it. Foreman is reluctant, but does it anyway. Elsewhere, the steroids seem to be having a positive effect on Rebecca. Later that night, Wilson gives Rebecca some basic tests and she proclaims that she can’t see. More convulsions follow.

The next day, Foreman gives Rebecca a basic test which she fails, then passes. House suggests that they let her die, but pay attention post-mortem so that they can finally learn what disease she was suffering from. Foreman and Cameron inspect Rebecca’s apartment. They find nothing.

Back at the hospital, Foreman reveals in passing that Rebecca had ham in her fridge. House has an epiphany -- Rebecca must have a tapeworm in her brain. Although this new revelation is diagnosed, Rebecca doesn’t want any more treatments. She just wants to die in peace. House calls her a coward. She wants proof it was a worm since he was wrong on vasculitis. Chase suggests a plain old x-ray to check for worms. House realizes he’s right. If there’s a worm in the brain, there is definitely one in her leg.

Chase shows Rebecca the x-ray. A worm larvae is in her thigh muscle. She will make a full recovery, and only require a small number of pills to get rid of the worm.

Link

reply to post by xxpigxx


I watched that again the other night.

I think the only type of "worm" that creates "protective" cysts in the brain are tapeworms/larvae. Cyst breaks, worm escapes, big problems ensue. Nasty, but it should teach people the valuable lesson of cooking their pork to well done and always washing their hands.