Social media users have shared an unsettling X-ray that depicts the appearance of a tapeworm-infested body.
The image was posted on X by Sam Ghali from the University of Florida, who described it as one of the “most insane X-rays I’ve ever seen.”
The parasites can have camped within the person’s body as a result of an unlucky error they made in the kitchen.
The infection, known as cysticercosis, can be contracted by transmission or by consuming raw or undercooked pork that has been contaminated with tapeworms.
What is cysticercosis?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that the parasite illness is “caused by the larvae (immature worm) of the tapeworm, Taenia solium.”
“A person gets cysticercosis by consuming tapeworm eggs. These eggs hatch and develop into larvae,” they explained.
“The larvae then penetrate (move through) a person’s intestinal wall and move to tissues like muscle, eyes, or brain. This is where the cysts, or cysticerci, develop.”
According to Ghali in the video, the individual may have contracted cysticercosis via consuming raw or undercooked pork.
But according to the CDC, “cysticercosis does not spread from eating raw or undercooked pork” on its own; the pork must first be infected with cysticerci.
They also stated that the only way for humans to contract the virus is by consuming food or water tainted with tapeworm eggs.
What happens if you get cysticercosis?
“These cysts can travel anywhere throughout the entire body, heavily to the muscular and soft tissue of the hips and the legs,” Ghali stated.“If just in the pelvis, they don’t pose a life-threatening problem.”
“The problem is if they travel to the brain and lodge there.”
“That can cause very serious issues. As you can imagine, that can lead to neurological symptoms like headaches, confusion, seizures and even death.”
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