The man’s diagnosis surprised many on social media. (Representational photo)
A man in Brazil, who went to a doctor at a hospital complaining of a cough, was shocked after test results showed the remains of dozens of tapeworm larvae. Dr Vitor Borin P de Souza, a physician at the Hospital das Clínicas Botucat in São Paulo, shared X-ray images of the horrifying diagnosis on Twitter where it sparked much debate. The doctor later deleted the Twitter thread, but it had already gone viral and been reported by several news outlets.
UK based MetroThe doctor said the man was suffering from cysticercosis, a condition in which tapeworm larvae normally found in people’s intestines swarm elsewhere.
World Health Organization The (WHO) states that this condition is called taeniasis and can be caused by various tapeworms. But only Taenia solium, also known as pork tapeworm, causes major health problems, the WHO added.
The main reason humans become infected with cysticercosis is if they consume undercooked food, such as pork, that contains tapeworm eggs.
Dr de Souza said of the diagnosis, “Cysticercosis is acquired by ingestion of tapeworm eggs (present in the faeces of humans with tapeworms). Don’t want to (catch) it? Wash your food thoroughly before consuming.” “
According to experts, it sometimes takes months or even years for cysts to develop after a person has eaten tapeworm eggs.
But consuming tapeworms is not considered very harmful, as the cysts can be easily removed through surgery or medicines.
