By Lewis Perdue — A 52-year-old man checked into an Orlando, Florida hospital suffering from severe migraines he said not been helped by previous therapy. According to a published paper, subsequent blood work and imaging revealed that — instead of a migraine — his brain had been infected by larval cysts from the pork tapeworm parasite Taenia solium he had acquired from eating undercooked bacon. According to the paper, the man “had a habit of eating lightly cooked, non-crispy bacon for most of his life.”
The paper also mentioned that, “while the infection is endemic in the developing world due to poor sanitary conditions… it is increasingly becoming diagnosed in developed countries due to increased access to travel and immigration in modern times.”
Not Surprising By Many
Boomers will not find the infection surprising. That’s because trichinellosisrichinosis — an illness from trichinella — different pork parasite — was the subject of frequent warnings from the1940s into the 1970s about proper cooking. The decrease in concern, according to the CDC, is due to “because of improved pig-raising practices in the pork industry, commercial and home freezing of pork, and public awareness of the danger of eating raw or undercooked meat products.”
The CDC says that: ” the risk of trichinellosis from commercially raised and properly prepared pork is very low. However, eating undercooked wild game, particularly bear meat, puts one at risk for acquiring this disease.
Cases of trichinellosis in the United States reported to CDC by year, 1947–2015
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