Migrating cerebral lesions indicate sparganosis
November 23, 2014 12:00 AM Subscribe
"The patient tested negative for HIV, tuberculosis, lime disease, syphilis, coccidioides, histoplasma and cryptococcus." After four years of MRIs, a person's mysterious headaches, seizures and altered sense of smell and memory are diagnosed as a tapeworm growing throughout his brain.
(Dumps the raw frog meat out of his medicine cabinet)
posted by jscott at 12:22 AM on November 23, 2014 [20 favorites]
posted by jscott at 12:22 AM on November 23, 2014 [20 favorites]
I can't stop shuddering long enough to make a Wrath of Khan joke.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:06 AM on November 23, 2014 [11 favorites]
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 1:06 AM on November 23, 2014 [11 favorites]
So it's completely gone now, correct? Did the environment it was in keep it at a stage that it could not reproduce? Since it seems that they found only one after four years, luckily that may be the case. Then again, the only found one - that doesn't mean there wasn't more than that before, and this is the one that survived whatever treatment they may have tried before they knew what it was.
I really feel bad for this guy. For the rest of his life, every out of place sound, every time his food doesn't taste right, every time some blurry movement is seen just out of his eyes, and every little headache he has, there is one thought: there's more. Its enough to drive a man mad, and all you can do is hope you're mind is long gone before your head does its best impression of John Hurt in Alien.
posted by chambers at 1:16 AM on November 23, 2014 [6 favorites]
I really feel bad for this guy. For the rest of his life, every out of place sound, every time his food doesn't taste right, every time some blurry movement is seen just out of his eyes, and every little headache he has, there is one thought: there's more. Its enough to drive a man mad, and all you can do is hope you're mind is long gone before your head does its best impression of John Hurt in Alien.
posted by chambers at 1:16 AM on November 23, 2014 [6 favorites]
And I was worried about ice and snow.
posted by Cranberry at 1:19 AM on November 23, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Cranberry at 1:19 AM on November 23, 2014 [4 favorites]
It is not known how he first became infected, but one source of infection is the use of frog poultice, a traditional Chinese remedy where raw frog meat is used to calm sore eyes.
Man, seems like everything's bad for you these days.
posted by univac at 1:20 AM on November 23, 2014 [36 favorites]
Man, seems like everything's bad for you these days.
posted by univac at 1:20 AM on November 23, 2014 [36 favorites]
Don't the poultices adhere poorly to the frog's slippery skin, and all the hopping, etc.?
posted by Chitownfats at 1:41 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Chitownfats at 1:41 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
This is one of the kinds of interesting, eyeball gathering stories that journalists should sit on.
The nocebo effect is real and incredibly harmful.
posted by Blasdelb at 1:45 AM on November 23, 2014
The nocebo effect is real and incredibly harmful.
posted by Blasdelb at 1:45 AM on November 23, 2014
Hello from China. I am not going outside again until I go to the airport.
posted by ambient2 at 2:02 AM on November 23, 2014 [15 favorites]
posted by ambient2 at 2:02 AM on November 23, 2014 [15 favorites]
You're worried about people reading this and spontaneously manifesting worms in their brains, Blasdelb?
posted by Silentgoldfish at 3:03 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Silentgoldfish at 3:03 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, just wait until the usual delusional parasitosis nuts find out about this. Morgellon's is history. Liver flukes don't stand a chance. Chronic Lyme is so 2009.
Formication, with an "m," look it up yo.
posted by spitbull at 3:14 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Formication, with an "m," look it up yo.
posted by spitbull at 3:14 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Oh please. The proper use of a frog poultice is for tonsillitis:
Look for a good-sized frog. You score its stomach with a sharp knife, making sure the animal does not die. You open up and plant the frog with its incision down and its feet aside on the little one, that is, the child, so that the frog’s heart beats against the child’s tonsils. Put a hot cloth on top. Cover with a kerchief or napkin and leave it for quite a while so it absorbs all the pestilence.
If the child is frightened, which is quite probable because the frog might move or even scratch with its feet under the child’s ears, then you have to tell him, that is, the child, that it is for his own good and nothing will happen. If he tries to rebel and move around, then the best is to tie him to the bed until the animal, that is, the frog, finishes its work.
It's common knowledge, no?
Source: Mexican Provincial Literature
posted by kanewai at 3:24 AM on November 23, 2014 [7 favorites]
Look for a good-sized frog. You score its stomach with a sharp knife, making sure the animal does not die. You open up and plant the frog with its incision down and its feet aside on the little one, that is, the child, so that the frog’s heart beats against the child’s tonsils. Put a hot cloth on top. Cover with a kerchief or napkin and leave it for quite a while so it absorbs all the pestilence.
If the child is frightened, which is quite probable because the frog might move or even scratch with its feet under the child’s ears, then you have to tell him, that is, the child, that it is for his own good and nothing will happen. If he tries to rebel and move around, then the best is to tie him to the bed until the animal, that is, the frog, finishes its work.
It's common knowledge, no?
Source: Mexican Provincial Literature
posted by kanewai at 3:24 AM on November 23, 2014 [7 favorites]
Formication
Having sex with ants?
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:29 AM on November 23, 2014 [19 favorites]
Having sex with ants?
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:29 AM on November 23, 2014 [19 favorites]
Then again, they only found one
From the tracks on the MRI they do seem pretty noticeable.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:31 AM on November 23, 2014
From the tracks on the MRI they do seem pretty noticeable.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:31 AM on November 23, 2014
Sort of. More like imagining having sex with ants.
posted by spitbull at 3:48 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by spitbull at 3:48 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
UMUMUM! I occasionally eat Chinese frogs and often eat Chinese crustaceans, but I never apply them topically. This article does not make it clear enough that I am safe from a brainworm. help.
posted by MsDaniB at 3:58 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by MsDaniB at 3:58 AM on November 23, 2014
Here in England, its cloudy and overcast, raining, wet, damp and miserable. So I head on over to Mefi, thinking the day can't get much worse and find this.
posted by marienbad at 4:02 AM on November 23, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by marienbad at 4:02 AM on November 23, 2014 [5 favorites]
Dammit, Otto, you have a tapeworm in your brain.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:11 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Wolfdog at 4:11 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Metafilter: a tapeworm in your brain.
posted by parki at 4:12 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by parki at 4:12 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Here you go:
Formication is the medical term for a sensation that exactly resembles that of small insects crawling on (or under) the skin. It is one specific form of a set of sensations known as paresthesias...
posted by spitbull at 4:18 AM on November 23, 2014
Formication is the medical term for a sensation that exactly resembles that of small insects crawling on (or under) the skin. It is one specific form of a set of sensations known as paresthesias...
posted by spitbull at 4:18 AM on November 23, 2014
i dislike this post and wish it great ill
posted by poffin boffin at 4:29 AM on November 23, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 4:29 AM on November 23, 2014 [3 favorites]
Oh, goody. Sunday morning nightmare fuel.
Yeah, I think I'd have to resort to mind altering drugs for the rest of my life to keep myself from wondering all the time if they missed the other one.
posted by Mooski at 5:17 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I think I'd have to resort to mind altering drugs for the rest of my life to keep myself from wondering all the time if they missed the other one.
posted by Mooski at 5:17 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
1000 cases in China over the last 130 years boils down to something like one out of 2 million people getting this worm over that period, with the rate probably a lot lower today. I would say you're safe in China so long as you avoid the frogs.
posted by beagle at 5:20 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by beagle at 5:20 AM on November 23, 2014
Parasites are SO COOL!
My favourites are (disclaimer: this list may not be for everyone):
Loa Loa : A cute litte roundworm that lives in the skin for 1-4 years before maturing. It's often noticed by the patient when it decides to travel across the eyeball as visible swimming worms.
Anisakiasis: For those who like their sushi a bit too fresh, this nematode often manifests as the patient feels the worm crawling back up the throat after eating raw, infected fish.
Clonorchis sinensis (the chinese liver fluke): Pretty common cause of biliary disease in the far east. Makes the list because it often surprises surgeons who go in for a routine cholecystectomy and, on cutting out the gall bladder, out comes OH MY GOD WORMS.
...
Hello? Is anyone still here?
posted by cacofonie at 6:15 AM on November 23, 2014 [19 favorites]
My favourites are (disclaimer: this list may not be for everyone):
Loa Loa : A cute litte roundworm that lives in the skin for 1-4 years before maturing. It's often noticed by the patient when it decides to travel across the eyeball as visible swimming worms.
Anisakiasis: For those who like their sushi a bit too fresh, this nematode often manifests as the patient feels the worm crawling back up the throat after eating raw, infected fish.
Clonorchis sinensis (the chinese liver fluke): Pretty common cause of biliary disease in the far east. Makes the list because it often surprises surgeons who go in for a routine cholecystectomy and, on cutting out the gall bladder, out comes OH MY GOD WORMS.
...
Hello? Is anyone still here?
posted by cacofonie at 6:15 AM on November 23, 2014 [19 favorites]
This reads like a subplot from The Laundry Files.
posted by ryoshu at 6:27 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ryoshu at 6:27 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm someone who enjoyed reading Parasite Rex, but brain worms makes me a bit queasy. The overall argument that some parasites, some of the time, are good for our immune systems is interesting and likely true, but the trick to that is still going to be avoiding the brain ones.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:38 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by Dip Flash at 6:38 AM on November 23, 2014
He's actually pretty lucky. That's just a wee little thing and it's not doing much damage. Eat some raw vegetables, swallow some tapeworm eggs, and you've got neurocysticercosis and a brain that looks like Swiss cheese.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:58 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by Sys Rq at 7:58 AM on November 23, 2014
Morgellon's is history
"Old furry sings the blues"
posted by thelonius at 8:07 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
"Old furry sings the blues"
posted by thelonius at 8:07 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Formication, with an "m," look it up yo.
Is that what happens when you fall into a drum full of superintellingent, radioactive waste-covered ants?
posted by Sys Rq at 8:22 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is that what happens when you fall into a drum full of superintellingent, radioactive waste-covered ants?
posted by Sys Rq at 8:22 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
I only read what's posted here (not even reading the comments) and I really, really wish I could unread it. Jesus fucking christ.
posted by Librarypt at 8:43 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Librarypt at 8:43 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
We just started watching House last week, and this is the plot of the pilot episode. I've been trying to forget, so thank you for posting this.
posted by heatherann at 9:15 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by heatherann at 9:15 AM on November 23, 2014
all you can do is hope you're mind is long gone before your head does its best impression of John Hurt in Alien.
At that point, you hope the impression is of Louis del Grande in Scanners. And even without recognizing del Grande's name, you know what I mean.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:28 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
At that point, you hope the impression is of Louis del Grande in Scanners. And even without recognizing del Grande's name, you know what I mean.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:28 AM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Also, between this and the seals that rape penguins to death and then eat them:
Organisms are gross.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:29 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Organisms are gross.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:29 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Arragh! Way to ruin my Sunday. Of all the human species specific worms, tapeworms are absolutely the most disgusting.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:38 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by BlueHorse at 9:38 AM on November 23, 2014
between this and the seals that rape penguins to death and then eat them
The Circle of Life...
posted by Sys Rq at 10:54 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Circle of Life...
posted by Sys Rq at 10:54 AM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Read about this on Friday. It's just about the most horrifying thing I can imagine.
Other than kanewai's cure for tonsillitis, that is.
posted by Kevin Street at 11:42 AM on November 23, 2014
Other than kanewai's cure for tonsillitis, that is.
posted by Kevin Street at 11:42 AM on November 23, 2014
Lots of intestinal macroparasites have a reproductive lifecycle involving an intracerebral or meningeal phase. Cysticercosis is an unfortunately common neuropsychiatric disease involving pork-derived tapeworm larvae in the brain (and can have some unexpected populations). What's interesting in this case is that the larva hatched. Humans are an unusual definitive host for these species.
posted by meehawl at 11:59 AM on November 23, 2014
posted by meehawl at 11:59 AM on November 23, 2014
Hidden Epidemic:
Tapeworms Living Inside People's Brains
More nightmare fuel:
This also made me think of a case I heard about some years ago, about a guy with a bunch of roundworms behind his eye that had been mistaken for a tumor. They were not properly diagnosed until his eye was surgically removed. They took his eye out and there were the worms. Hello!
Trouble is, I can't seem to find anything about it on the internets, but I did find this:
So what's the big deal with public health significance?
Here is where it gets a bit frightening! Roundworm larva have actually blinded young children and caused countless other problems. The humans most affected are children from early neonatal age to four or five years of age, however any age can be affected. Why is this? The secret lies in hand-to-mouth ingestion of roundworm eggs. Lets say the cat uses the sandbox for a litter area. Kids playing in the sand very easily can pick up eggs on their hands and where do their hands go? Right in the mouth without being washed.
Once the embryonated roundworm egg reaches the intestine of the human it hatches and the larva penetrates the intestine wall. From there it gains entry into the blood stream and may end up just about anywhere in the body including vital organs such as the eye, brain, liver, kidneys, heart wall, lungs, etc. Since humans are an unnatural host for the roundworm larva, their body reacts and walls off the larva in little granuloma's (similar to what occurs in adult dogs and cats). These granuloma's may cause sudden dysfunction of any of these organs resulting in illness.
The most often diagnosed illness is loss of sight in one eye. The roundworm larva is trapped in the optic disk behind the retina of the eye and a granuloma forms. These granuloma's have been mistaken for retinoblastoma's (cancer of the retina) and the eye was mistakenly removed. I believe the reason the problem is so often diagnosed in the eye is because we know it is happening. We experience loss of vision; the eye is removed and the larva is discovered.
Remember what I said above? When roundworm larva are encased in granuloma's they are impossible to kill with any anti-parasitic drugs and they are also impossible to detect. How many cases of persons seizuring with no apparent cause could be related to roundworm larva? It is impossible to know because the granuloma's are impossible to detect. We can't remove the brain and search for the larva microscopically.
I hope I didn't scare you by making you aware of this problem. The problem is rare, but it "can" happen at any time. This is an important reason for people to always wash their hands before eating or putting a finger in the mouth. Who knows, it could save your eye!
My cat had roundworms once. He wa a stray, and on the way home from getting him checked out at the vet before introducing him to my other cat, he barfed up the deworming pill the vet had given him, partially digested. I didn't think anything of it--I was just glad he didn't have Felv or FIV--until about 6 months later he suddenly started puking, like constantly. All night long. I felt so bad. I took him to the vet and they did some xrays or something and were stumped. Sent me home with some useless hairball medicine. After we'd been home for about 10 minutes my beloved kitty barfed on my duvet on my bed. I walked over to comfort him and assess the damage and was puzzled. My brain was really struggling with this one. "When...how...why did he eat whole spaghetti noodles? OH DEAR GOD"
The vet immediate prescribed a deworming pill which I made damn sure he ingested and he felt much better. I briefly considered just torching the duvet.
posted by apis mellifera at 1:36 PM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
More nightmare fuel:
This also made me think of a case I heard about some years ago, about a guy with a bunch of roundworms behind his eye that had been mistaken for a tumor. They were not properly diagnosed until his eye was surgically removed. They took his eye out and there were the worms. Hello!
Trouble is, I can't seem to find anything about it on the internets, but I did find this:
So what's the big deal with public health significance?
Here is where it gets a bit frightening! Roundworm larva have actually blinded young children and caused countless other problems. The humans most affected are children from early neonatal age to four or five years of age, however any age can be affected. Why is this? The secret lies in hand-to-mouth ingestion of roundworm eggs. Lets say the cat uses the sandbox for a litter area. Kids playing in the sand very easily can pick up eggs on their hands and where do their hands go? Right in the mouth without being washed.
Once the embryonated roundworm egg reaches the intestine of the human it hatches and the larva penetrates the intestine wall. From there it gains entry into the blood stream and may end up just about anywhere in the body including vital organs such as the eye, brain, liver, kidneys, heart wall, lungs, etc. Since humans are an unnatural host for the roundworm larva, their body reacts and walls off the larva in little granuloma's (similar to what occurs in adult dogs and cats). These granuloma's may cause sudden dysfunction of any of these organs resulting in illness.
The most often diagnosed illness is loss of sight in one eye. The roundworm larva is trapped in the optic disk behind the retina of the eye and a granuloma forms. These granuloma's have been mistaken for retinoblastoma's (cancer of the retina) and the eye was mistakenly removed. I believe the reason the problem is so often diagnosed in the eye is because we know it is happening. We experience loss of vision; the eye is removed and the larva is discovered.
Remember what I said above? When roundworm larva are encased in granuloma's they are impossible to kill with any anti-parasitic drugs and they are also impossible to detect. How many cases of persons seizuring with no apparent cause could be related to roundworm larva? It is impossible to know because the granuloma's are impossible to detect. We can't remove the brain and search for the larva microscopically.
I hope I didn't scare you by making you aware of this problem. The problem is rare, but it "can" happen at any time. This is an important reason for people to always wash their hands before eating or putting a finger in the mouth. Who knows, it could save your eye!
My cat had roundworms once. He wa a stray, and on the way home from getting him checked out at the vet before introducing him to my other cat, he barfed up the deworming pill the vet had given him, partially digested. I didn't think anything of it--I was just glad he didn't have Felv or FIV--until about 6 months later he suddenly started puking, like constantly. All night long. I felt so bad. I took him to the vet and they did some xrays or something and were stumped. Sent me home with some useless hairball medicine. After we'd been home for about 10 minutes my beloved kitty barfed on my duvet on my bed. I walked over to comfort him and assess the damage and was puzzled. My brain was really struggling with this one. "When...how...why did he eat whole spaghetti noodles? OH DEAR GOD"
The vet immediate prescribed a deworming pill which I made damn sure he ingested and he felt much better. I briefly considered just torching the duvet.
posted by apis mellifera at 1:36 PM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah. No god.
posted by um at 4:33 PM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by um at 4:33 PM on November 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
From the tracks on the MRI they do seem pretty noticeable.Lowly all up in your brain doing donuts,
Tokyo drifting all over your grey matter.
posted by blueberry at 5:25 PM on November 23, 2014
What got my attention is that the symptoms and lack of cause match my sister-in-law perfectly. They did eventually find lesions on her brain, though. Guess they should check again to see if they are MOVING.
Yeah, not gonna tell her about this.
posted by charred husk at 6:29 PM on November 23, 2014
Yeah, not gonna tell her about this.
posted by charred husk at 6:29 PM on November 23, 2014
Oh good I didn't want to sleep again ever.
posted by a hat out of hell at 7:11 PM on November 23, 2014
posted by a hat out of hell at 7:11 PM on November 23, 2014
Arragh! Way to ruin my Sunday. Of all the human species specific worms, tapeworms are absolutely the most disgusting.
Spoken like someone unfamiliar with guinea worm.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:23 PM on November 23, 2014
Spoken like someone unfamiliar with guinea worm.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:23 PM on November 23, 2014
Yeah. No god. ~ posted by um at 4:33 PM on November 23
Only no omnipotent, omnibenevolent, humorless prick who likes talking primates. Horror films maybe.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 10:54 PM on November 23, 2014
Only no omnipotent, omnibenevolent, humorless prick who likes talking primates. Horror films maybe.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 10:54 PM on November 23, 2014
I thought the raccoons shitting in my backyard were just a dirty nuisance until I learned that most raccoons carry a parasitic roundworm that can cause severe illness, death, or permanent disability in humans.
posted by bennett being thrown at 1:43 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by bennett being thrown at 1:43 PM on November 24, 2014
Dip Flash, yes, guinea worm is disgusting, especially the part about self-treating by winding it around the stick, but tapeworms of all kinds (Taeniasis) are the absolute worse.
(migrating to your brain, behind your eyeballs,encysting in your organs and muscles, filling your gut and producing eggs and segiments---ARRRGH!
posted by BlueHorse at 7:00 PM on November 25, 2014
(migrating to your brain, behind your eyeballs,encysting in your organs and muscles, filling your gut and producing eggs and segiments---ARRRGH!
posted by BlueHorse at 7:00 PM on November 25, 2014
« Older "Are we unable to live without a system of walls?" | Tenho que pegá-los todos! Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Jacqueline at 12:06 AM on November 23, 2014 [10 favorites]