Brain worms can be deadly

khou. ^ | Monday, November 27, 2006 | Janice Williamson

[dennisw]

A potentially fatal disease rarely seen here has popped up in Houston four times in the past two months. It's linked to tapeworms and their eggs.

He ate at mobile kitchens until he found out food contaminated with eggs from a tapeworm almost killed him.

"He's scared now. He's scared of any food from outside," said Marjorie, his daughter & translator.

The tile worker immigrated from El Salvador 20 years ago said early symptoms were subtle.

"It was a mild headache but it wouldn't go away," Marjorie explained. "It was just there and it wouldn't go away with Tylenol."

Doctors at a clinic gave him medicine for high blood pressure.

A few days later Ramirez passed out and didn't wake up for eight days.

"This is a picture of the cyst," said Dr. Aaron Mohanty, a UT Houston Medical School neurosurgeon.

Dr. Mohanty found the cyst with tapeworm larvae in Ramirez's brain.

It's a disease called cysticercosis.

"If they delayed 12 hours, six to 12 hours more he would not have survived," said Dr. Mohanty. "He was deeply unconscious."

This was Mohanty's fourth case in two months of a disease most often seen in developing countries.

"I think it's just a chance factor," said Dr. Mohanty.

In all four patients the UT Houston neurosurgeon removed the cysts through a small incision in the brain.

"The cycle starts with a human that's infected with the tapeworm," said Dr. Luis Ostrosky with the UT Houston Medical School.

Dr. Luis Ostrosky tells us the eggs from a tapeworm are spread by a human host who doesn't practice good hygiene after using the bathroom.

An unsuspecting victim then eats the contaminated food.

"These eggs hatch in the intestine and go through the gutwall and into the circulation and get stuck somewhere," said Dr. Ostrosky.

[Old Professer]

The guy's been here 20 years and he needs a translator - speaks volumes.

[Nascar Dad]

And if you don't grab the door handle with a paper towel on the way out, it's as if you didn't wash your hands either.

[Rte66]

LOL! Nothing "sez Iraq" like a *Sazerac* cocktail, with a few brain worms on the side.

[Rte66]

Like the girl in the "Dan-Active" immunity yogurt commercial who pushes the paper towel dispenser lever in the ladies' bathroom with her elbows.

[Ignatz]

That is not what I meant. The brain thing is disgusting. The parasite thing is too if you stop to think about it.

The parasite thing....you mean K-Fed, right?

[The Great RJ]

Could it be that liberalism is due to a brain worm infestation?

[therut]

Yes the female worms crawl out at night time to lay their eggs.

[Snoopers-868th]

The parasite thing....you mean K-Fed, right?

I am lost, I admit it, don't know what you are talking about. What I meant by my evolution remark is that parasites are the oldest living organism and I once saw something that claimed it was parasites that cause the evolution of species in general. We all have parasites. I do not believe in the theory of evolution if that is what you mean and did not mean to imply that.

[Ignatz]

Lol! It was a jab at well-known parasite Kevin Federline, the soon-to-be-ex-Mr. Britney Spears.
As in, "Did Britney use a lit match match to get rid of K-Fed? That's how one usually gets a leech to let go!"

[colorado tanker]

Is this another one of those third world freakish diseases that pop up regularly from illegals?

Oh, pulleeze. At least half the white males I see in mens rooms don't wash their hands, and that includes restaurant staff.

That's why I got the hepatitis vaccine - there seem to be more and more outbreaks.

[woollyone]

Tiolet flushed with either bottom of shoe if a regular toilet, or elbo used to flush urinal.

[fella]

Eeeeeeeeew!

[Snoopers-868th]

Got me!! LOL

[bonfire]

Son just had his honeymoon in Mexico and came home sick as a dog. Even passed out from dehydration. And they DIDN'T drink the aqua.

[VOA]

Going to bed and probably lay awake feeling all kinds of crawly
things now. Have a good night.

This thread is having one good effect.
I don't think I'll ever camp out overnight again without a
full-enclosure bug/mosquito netting.

[VOA]

I work in a financial services headquarters, and I can tell you
that a huge percentage of the Indian and Pakistani (professional)
women do NOT wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Ick.

I heard this on Paul Harvey news maybe 10 years ago.
There was a convention of epidemiologist and affiliated health
professionals in New Orleans.
Some professor got some graduate students to "loiter" in the
bathrooms of the convention hall to keep tab on the percentage
of folks that washed their hands following a visit to the the urinal
or toilet.

IIRC, about half these males in this Health Professional sector
didn't wash their hands.
What was more shocking? The percentage of females not washing hands
was even higher (about sixty percent).

[GulfBreeze]

If anyone is anywhere near houston they ought to join us in Kemah for a lessons learned event. The organizers are trying to set these events up to HEAR from the voters more than to SPEAK to them.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1746691/posts)

[Snoopers-868th]

If this thread is disturbing check the link below one out--it makes me extremely ill. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747174/posts

[TigersEye]

I said nothing of the kind.

[Thumper1960]

Thankfully, in our area, we have great, local, indigenous farmers who speak English and who aren't Third World interlopers bent on cultural subversion.