Case study: Tapeworm larvae to blame for Australian woman’s chronic headaches

It might sound like something out of a horror movie, but the cause of an Australian woman’s severe migraines turned out to be a real-life nightmare.

The unidentified 25-year-old barista’s case, detailed by physicians in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, revealed an unlikely culprit lurking behind her chronic headaches: a cyst full of tapeworm larvae discovered in her brain.

The woman’s case is believed to be the first locally acquired case of neurocysticercosis, a parasitic disease that occurs after one accidentally ingests pork tapeworm eggs, Fox News reported.

“Australian cases reported have either been in immigrants or returning residents, who have travelled to endemic regions,” the case study’s authors wrote.

According to the World Health Organization, humans acquire the parasite by “consuming undercooked food, particularly pork, or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs, or through poor hygiene practices.”

The woman had complained about headaches three times per month for the past seven years and was prescribed migraine medication, but she knew something odd was afoot when her latest headache lasted more than one week and she developed blurred vision and aches, the New Zealand Herald reported.

A subsequent MRI revealed she had a suspected tumor or brain abscess, but surgeons discovered the larvae-filled cyst when they attempted to remove the brain lesion, the newspaper reported.

“Sometimes, a clear epidemiological link can be established based on evidence of close contact with people originating from geographic areas of high endemicity, who may be employed in the households of those who would otherwise not be at risk,” the authors wrote, noting that “such a link could not be made in the present case.”

The woman has recovered fully, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Had the condition been left untreated, the larvae could have travelled through her body and invaded other tissues, resulting in cysticercosis, the newspaper reported.

“When larvae build up in the central nervous system, muscles, skin and eyes, it leads to neurocysticercosis – the most severe form of the disease and a common cause of seizures worldwide,” the WHO stated.

Cox Media Group