This man suffered from horrible migraines. He had tapeworm larvae in his brain. The cause? Undercooked bacon

Doctors have identified the source of a man’s migraines: tapeworm larvae in his brain, likely from undercooked bacon. It was an infection called neurocysticercosis. The arrows in the image point to tapeworm larvae cysts.

A man from Florida, USA, who suffered from aggravated migraines, had parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain, according to a report published this month in the American Journal of Case Reports. Doctors believe the tapeworm infection originated from his habit of eating undercooked bacon.

The unidentified 52-year-old man initially went to the doctor because his migraines had suddenly worsened over four months. They occurred almost weekly, were very painful and did not respond to medications, according to the report.

The doctor ordered a CT scan, which revealed multiple cysts – fluid-filled sacs – throughout the brain. Initially suspecting he might have a rare neurological disease called congenital neuroglial cysts, doctors admitted him to an Orlando hospital to see a neurosurgeon.

Other laboratory and imaging tests at the hospital showed that the cysts were parasitic tapeworm larvae that had settled in his brain and caused an infection called neurocysticercosis, the report said.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection that occurs when a person ingests tapeworm eggs from the feces of a person who has intestinal tapeworm. The tapeworm eggs then turn into larval cysts that can infect the brain, muscles or other tissues, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Neurocysticercosis is the form of the disease in which larvae infect the brain. It is a leading cause of seizures in adults in low-income countries with poor sanitation and free-ranging pigs, according to the CDC, the United States disease center.

In this case, the man did not present typical risk factors: he did not travel to high-risk areas, nor did he have close contact with pigs nor did he live in an area with poor sanitary conditions. However, he admitted to having a habit of eating “undercooked, uncrisp bacon for most of his life,” according to the report.

Investigators concluded that the man likely contracted the parasite through “self-infection.” He may have contracted an intestinal tapeworm, called taeniasis, by eating undercooked bacon that contained larval cysts and then, after inadequately washing his hands, ate the tapeworm eggs that he had excreted in his feces, leading to neurocysticercosis.

“One can only speculate, but given our patient’s predilection for undercooked pork and his history of benign exposure, we think his cysticercosis was transmitted by self-infection following incorrect handwashing after he himself had contracted taeniasis due to his eating habits”, says the report.

The man was treated with steroids and antiparasitic agents. His headaches improved and the cysts in his brain shrank, according to the report.

Neurocysticercosis is rare in the United States and is preventable, according to the CDC. People can avoid contracting intestinal tapeworms by cooking meat at safe temperatures. And cysticercosis can be prevented by washing your hands properly after using the bathroom and before handling food.