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BUT HOW DOES THE WORM GET IN YOUR BRAIN?
And other questions about parasites.
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Tapeworms such as Taenia solium can affect the brain. Credit...Getty Images
By Dana G. Smith and Dani Blum
May 8, 2024, 5:44 p.m. ET
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s disclosure that a doctor apparently found a dead worm in
his brain has sparked questions about what brain parasites are, the damage they
can cause and how, exactly, they get there.
HOW DO PARASITES TURN UP IN PEOPLE? AND WHAT CAN THEY DO TO THE BRAIN?
Brain parasites encompass far more than worms. There are “legions” of organisms
that can affect the brain, said Scott Gardner, a professor of biological
sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who specializes in parasites. In
addition to worms, common brain parasites include single-celled organisms such
as Toxoplasma gondii and some amoeba.
The damage varies depending on the type of parasite and where it ends up in the
brain. “Some of them actively invade the tissues and destroy tissues,” said Dr.
Daniel Pastula, chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at
University of Colorado Medicine. Others cause problems because of the
inflammatory reaction that they trigger.
TAPEWORMS
Humans are typically exposed to tapeworms through raw or undercooked food or
through food contaminated with feces.
“A lot of these things are transmitted to humans through feces,” said Dr. Edith
L. Graham, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine.
Doctors consulted by The New York Times speculated that Mr. Kennedy described
symptoms of an infection with larvae from the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, one
of multiple types of tapeworm that can infect the brain. When a person
accidentally swallows pork tapeworm eggs, the eggs hatch in the intestines, and
the larvae can travel to other organs, including the brain. There, they form
cysts, causing a condition known as neurocysticercosis.
Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.
Dana G. Smith is a Times reporter covering personal health, particularly aging
and brain health. More about Dana G. Smith
Dani Blum is a health reporter for The Times. More about Dani Blum
See more on: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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