Horror as man finds ‘migraines’ were tapeworm larvae that infected his brain from eating undercooked bacon

The 52-year-old man with a history of migraines went to the doctor as his headaches became more frequent and severe and unresponsive to usual treatments.

His pain also became worse across the back of his skull, according to the study, published last week in the American Journal of Case Reports.

A CT scan of his skull revealed multiple cysts deep within his brain.

Further scans revealed more cysts in the front and middle part of his brain’s outer layer, which led to doctors confirming that he had a condition cllaed neurocysticercosis, which occurs when cysts of the tapeworm Taenia solium embed within the nervous system.

Humans typically become infected with tapeworm cysts when they ingest water or food contaminated with the parasite.

Infection of this kind is increasing in frequency in developed countries due to increased access to travel.

Its severity ranges from being symptomless to life-threatening, largely depending on which parts of the body the cysts infect.

The most common symptom usually is seizure, which is seen in 80pc of cases, according to the report.

Treatment generally involves the use of anti-worm drugs or surgery, or a combination of methods.

“Historically, developed countries have not been major hotbeds for infection due to high scrutiny of food safety and sanitary standards,” researchers say.

The patient survived the worm infection following treatment with anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory drugs.