Doctors in Arizona thought a Phoenix-area woman had a possible brain tumor, but it turned out there was something else penetrating her brain – a worm.

The cysts can even disguise themselves as part of the host’s body by displaying proteins on their surfaces that identify them as part of the host—much as Wile E. Coyote hides from Sam Sheepdog in a herd of sheep by wearing a sheepskin. Finally, the location of the cysts is itself conducive to escaping detection by the immune system. The brain is not easily accessible to the cells of the immune system due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier, and so the parasites are partially protected from random encounters with the body’s defenders. Only when the immune response is in full swing can the immune cells enter the brain in large numbers.

What sounds like science fiction was all too real for Dawn Becerra, who found a parasitic worm lodged in her brain after eating a pork taco while vacationing in Mexico.

Doctors at Arizona's Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale believe the taco contained Taenia solium, a parasite that is surprisingly common in Latin American countries, and is often transmitted by eating undercooked pork.

Becerra said the snack made her ill for three weeks. And soon after, she began suffering seizures.

"I was tired and sick so it made it more difficult," she said. "I knew that this wasn't the way I wanted to live the rest of my life, with seizures."

She found that anti-seizure medication did not help her, and her condition worsened.

A Worm Inside Her Brain

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic discovered Becerra had neurocysticercosis - a lesion in her brain, caused by the parasitic worm.

Last November, she was told that if she wanted to live a normal, seizure-free life, she would need surgery.

As an egg, the worm attached itself to the intestinal wall, and eventually moved into her blood stream and to her brain, said Dr. Joseph Sirven, who operated on Becerra.

Once in the brain, the worm causes little harm until it eventually dies and decays, thereby inflaming surrounding tissue.

The female feeds and grows until eventually she pops out of the top of the crab, and from this knobby protrusion, she will steer the Good Ship Unlucky Crab for the rest of their co-mingled life. Packed full of parasite, the crab will forgo its own needs to serve those of its master. It won’t molt, grow reproductive organs, or attempt to reproduce. It won’t even regrow appendages, as healthy crabs can. Rather than waste the nutrients on itself, a host crab will hobble along and continue to look for food with which to feed its parasite master.

Originally posted by mopusvindictus
WARNING NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR STOMACH DO NOT LOOK IF SQUEEMISH

Not going to actually post Images... it's too much

This is sickening

Parasites of this type in full Bloom

You were warned

Parasites

[edit on 20-11-2008 by mopusvindictus]

Originally posted by plug_pray
reply to post by gopher mines

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wash your hands dude. This is a 1 line post.

PILOT
EPISODE PREMIERE: November 16, 2004
SYNOPSIS:

A young woman named Rebecca is teaching her kindergarten class when she begins to have trouble speaking. Soon, she collapses on the floor and begins convulsing.

At the hospital, Dr. James Wilson, describes the case to Dr. House. Female, 29, first seizure one month ago, progressive deterioration of mental status. The doctor asks House to take this case and put his team to work on it.

House’s team consists of three young genius doctors: Allison Cameron, Robert Chase and Eric Foreman, all bored stiff by House’s lack of cases. After much persuasion, House agrees to look over the patient. Later, the hospital administrator, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, scolds House about not doing his job. Even though he has tenure, she can still let him go if he avoids his duties of seeing patients.

Cameron and Foreman give Rebecca a CT scan, but she has another seizure inside the machine. The doctors perform an emergency tracheotomy to facilitate breathing. Later, House wonders if Rebecca has vasculitis, or inflamed blood vessels. Allison points out that you can’t diagnose vasculitis without a biopsy. House recommends they give her steroids to treat it and just see what happens.

House suggests to Foreman that he break into Rebecca’s apartment to inspect it. Foreman is reluctant, but does it anyway. Elsewhere, the steroids seem to be having a positive effect on Rebecca. Later that night, Wilson gives Rebecca some basic tests and she proclaims that she can’t see. More convulsions follow.

The next day, Foreman gives Rebecca a basic test which she fails, then passes. House suggests that they let her die, but pay attention post-mortem so that they can finally learn what disease she was suffering from. Foreman and Cameron inspect Rebecca’s apartment. They find nothing.

Back at the hospital, Foreman reveals in passing that Rebecca had ham in her fridge. House has an epiphany -- Rebecca must have a tapeworm in her brain. Although this new revelation is diagnosed, Rebecca doesn’t want any more treatments. She just wants to die in peace. House calls her a coward. She wants proof it was a worm since he was wrong on vasculitis. Chase suggests a plain old x-ray to check for worms. House realizes he’s right. If there’s a worm in the brain, there is definitely one in her leg.

Chase shows Rebecca the x-ray. A worm larvae is in her thigh muscle. She will make a full recovery, and only require a small number of pills to get rid of the worm.

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