Pork Tapeworm
Pork tapeworm is an intestinal infection with adult tapeworms. Humans get this infection from eating undercooked meat or not washing their hands properly while preparing pork. Pork tapeworm can cause mild gastrointestinal issues or cause contractions of the smooth muscle in your intestinal tract, called Gastrointestinal Motility.
Fact Table:
| Formal binomial name of microbe: | Taenia Solium |
| Gram stain (gram positive, gram negative or neither): | Neither |
| Is the microbe mobile or immobile? | Mobile |
| Primary habitat? (Where is the organism normally found or prefer to live?) | Small intestines |
| Can the organism infect humans? | Yes |
| Can the organism infect other species? If so, which ones. | Yes, pigs & beef |
| Documented cases of antimicrobial resistance? | No |
| Number of infections per year in the US | Roughly 1,000 |
| Number of infections per year in the world | About 40 million |
The life cycle of Pork tapeworm starts when the tapeworm is consumed by a human from undercooked beef or pork. Next, cysts turn or turn themselves inside out and attach themselves to the small intestines. Once they are attached to the small intestines they mature and turn in to adult tape worms. The adult tapeworms then design proglottids, a sexually mature reproductive system for the tapeworm.
Now, the tapeworm will separate itself and relocate itself near the anus. Once the tapeworm is there it removes it’s proglottids, eggs, or both and any of those are passed from the host in feces. Either pigs or humans can be infected by consuming an egg that has turned into an embryo. Auto infections can develop in humans if the matured sexual reproductive system of the tape worm have traveled from the intestines to the stomach. If the eggs are absorbed, they hatch in the intestines and are released and penetrate the intestinal wall, developing oncospheres. Oncospheres migrate through the blood stream and infect the brain, liver, and other organs.
Articles related to Pork Tapeworm:
- How an 18-year old Died from Pork Tapeworm Larvae in his Brain
In this article, a young man was experiencing discomfort in his right groin and then went to the emergency room and had a seizure. His right eye was swollen, and an MRI showed that he had cysts all over his brain. Next, the doctors found cysts in his testes and eyes caused by Taenia Solium. Medications were given to kill the parasites, but the outcome was inflammation and fluid formation. The MRI showed too many cysts for the doctors to believe it would be safe to distribute the medication to kill the cysts, so instead they gave the young man anti-seizure and inflammation medications. Unfortunately, the patient passed two weeks later due to the vast majority of parasites in his brain.
- Teenager Died when tapeworm eggs hatched in his Brain after eating Pork
This article explains the unfortunate event where pork was contaminated with feces and consumed by a young man and resulted in his death. Doctors found his brain was full of the parasite and resulted in violent seizures. His cerebral cortex, outer mantle of the brain tissue, brain stem, and cerebellum were affected by pork tapeworm. After suffering from this for a length of time the young man ended up passing.
- New York Women Undergoes Brain Tumor Removal Surgery, but Doctors find Baby Pork Tapeworm Instead
In January of 2018 Rachel Palma was told by doctors she had brain tumors and the most likely outcome was cancer. Palma experienced a lot of side effects due to the “unknown” in her brain. Doctors found a lesion, damage or abnormal tissue, in her brain and gave it further examining and believed it was a malignant tumor and she was told radiation and chemotherapy would be a likely route for her after surgery. Her first surgery, which was essentially an experimental surgery for the doctors to see what they were dealing with ended with them discovering it wasn’t a tumor at all, it was pork tapeworm.
Resources:
- Lee, B.Y. (2019). How An 18-Year-Old Died From Pork Tapeworm Larvae In His Brain. Forbes. [online] 30 Mar. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/03/30/what-having-many-pork-tapeworm-larvae-in-your-brain-looks-like/#12bf22262829 [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
- Medlineplus.gov. (2015). Tapeworm infection – beef or pork: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001391.htm [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
- PEARSON.RICHARD (2019). Taenia Solium (Pork Tapeworm) Infection and Cysticercosis – Infectious Diseases – Merck Manuals Professional Edition. [online] Merck Manuals Professional Edition. Available at: https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/cestodes-tapeworms/taenia-solium-pork-tapeworm-infection-and-cysticercosis.