Teen Dies After Eating Undercooked Pork, Suffers Brain Infection

You might like to eat your steak medium rare or rare, but bear in mind that this is something that you can only do with beef—never with pork or chicken. In fact, a recent case study showed a teen dying from brain infection due to eating undercooked pork.

In the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the 18-year-old teen had reportedly been complaining of pain in this right groin for a week. He also experienced tenderness in his right testes and swelling in this right eye. When he was given an MRI exam, the doctors found multiple cystic lesions throughout his brain, the cerebellum and the brain stem, all pointing to neurocysticercosis. The same was also seen in the testes and eye areas.

Lesions in such locations can no longer be treated with antiparasitic medicines, which can worsen the edema and inflammation. The teen was then treated with antiepileptic drugs and dexamethasone, but eventually died two weeks later.

According to the World Health Organization, neurocysticercosis is caused by the consumption of food that is not properly cooked—specifically pork. It can also be caused by poor hygiene practices or drinking water that has been contaminated with tapeworms and their eggs.

When the parasite called T. solium is transmitted to humans, it leads to an infection in the intestines that can eventually spread to different parts of the body. Once it invades the central nervous system, it becomes neurocysticercosis. This is why food safety, improved sanitation and hygiene is crucial. And since consumers cannot really control this, the best bet against it to make sure that pork meat is cooked well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the abdominal symptoms from eating undercooked pork can manifest in 1 to 2 days, while other symptoms can show up 2 to 8 weeks after consuming contaminated meat. The required internal temperature needed to kill off bacteria is pork is 145 degrees, which means you shouldn’t be leaving it pink as much as possible.