A man's love of undercooked bacon is being blamed for worm eggs on his brain that lead to debilitating migraines.
The 52-year-old Florida man sought treatment for his chronic headaches and that's when the discovery was made.
The unusual ailment was documented in the American Journal of Case Reports.
The patient stated his migraines now occurred almost weekly, were more severe, and no longer were responsive to abortive therapy.
He had not had any recent travel to high-risk area and lived a normal life with his cat and wife in a modern home.
The man denied eating raw or street food but upon further questioning admitted to a habit of eating lightly cooked, non-crispy bacon for most of his life.
Doctors performed a CT scan, which revealed numerous cystic foci and white matter in his brain.
The patient was admitted urgently to the hospital for neurosurgical exams.
The white matter was determined to be worm eggs from a pork tapeworm that uses pigs as a host. Humans are accidental hosts and become infected when they ingest cysts in infected pork or feces. Fully cooked bacon is likely to kill the tapeworm.
Doctors confirmed a diagnosis of neurocysticercosis and the man was treated with antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory medications and the man survived.
The CDC says neurocysticercosis is a leading cause of adult-onset epilepsy worldwide.
It is costly to diagnose and treat but entirely preventable.
There are an estimated 1,000 new hospitalizations for neurocysticercosis in the United States each year. Cases are most frequently reported in New York, California, Texas, Oregon, and Illinois.
