Flukes invade the human brain

Tapeworms can occur in the human body through direct or indirect routes, but all cause dangerous effects.

>>>Detecting a tapeworm that is longer (0.3m)

Swine fluke

There are many types of tapeworm (tapeworm), but only three of them infect directly with the human brain. The tapeworm has the scientific name Taenia Solium appearing in the human body in two ways. Eating undercooked pork (from infected pigs) leads to intestinal flukes, while larvae attack the nervous system and infect other tissues through a direct contact with pigs. or infected person. When larvae invade the nervous system and enter the brain, it can cause epilepsy.

Flukes come from poor sanitary conditions in residential and environmental areas. When not washing your hands often, people may accidentally come into contact with the eggs." In fact, people can make themselves contagious. Self-infection is quite a common situation , " said Helena Helmby, an expert at the Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Research Center in London.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tapeworms are common in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Tapeworm Taenia Solium.(Photo: CNN)

Flukes Spirometra

In 2013, doctors in England discovered a strange form of fluke moving inside a patient's brain. After repeated scans, they discovered a strange circular object inside the brain of a Chinese man. San has lived parasitic in his head for 4 years.

"It moves from one side of the brain to the other half," said Dr. Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas. This is a form of fluke that can travel throughout the human body like the eyes, the most common tissue is the brain.

Patients have returned to China recently. 4 years earlier, he had the first symptoms such as headache, but was treated like tuberculosis. When he came back, he had new symptoms, when the fluke attacked another area of ​​the brain, causing convulsions and pain in the legs. The symptoms are all related to the rare form of tapeworm called Scientific Spirometra erinaceieuropaei. Because there is no effective treatment, doctors quickly undergo surgery to remove them.

According to statistics, about 300 cases of Spirometra infection were recorded in the period 1953-2013, common in rural areas of Asia. This is a type of fluke that people rarely know, is considered quite mysterious and has a complicated life cycle.

The adult form of tapeworm Spirometra only occurs in the small intestine of cats and dogs, but they are released and exist in feces, living in water sources. Larvae may remain in small or frog and snake crustaceans. At this stage, they enter the human body through the gastrointestinal tract or in direct contact with the infected animals. Larvae form follicles inside the brain or other organs, resulting in tissue damage, blindness, paralysis and even death.

The scan shows the movement of the fluke in the patient's head over time (arrow).(Photo: CNN)

Study measures

Swine flu infection is a common condition, but can be treated with helminths. Meanwhile the current method of treating Spirometra can only be surgery.

However, according to Hayley Bennett's genetic team, some drugs used to treat schistosomiasis may work. Cancer treatment is also considered a potential solution. By studying samples of fluke, taken from an infected patient's body, and decoding their genes, scientists hope to be able to diagnose and recommend future treatments.

Tourism and trade in food products are concerns that may increase the rate of human infection. Experts warn that when people take self-care measures and raise awareness, infection rates can be controlled.