Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Doctor Shares Shocking X-Ray Of Person's Body Infested With Tapeworm Eggs From Raw Pork

Person in the kitchen handling uncooked slices of pork
aire images/Getty Images

Dr. Sam Ghali shared the x-ray of a patient after discovering their body was filled with calcified tapeworm eggs, a condition known as cysticercosis, from consuming raw or undercooked pork.

You may want to revisit your tendency of not washing your hands enough, or eating pork, after seeing this bizarre medical phenomenon.

A U.S. doctor shared an x-ray of a patient's pelvic area revealing their body was infested with hundreds of tapeworm eggs due to a major culinary fail.


ER doctor Sam Ghali M.D. shared his findings on X (formerly Twitter) as a cautionary tale to warn others of a possible outcome of eating raw or undercooked pork.

"Here's a video I made breaking down one of the most insane X-Rays I've ever seen," he wrote in the caption.

The accompanying clip showed the patient's x-ray of their pelvis, including the femurs shown bilaterally.

Ghali explained what the hundreds of peculiar white specs strewn about in the image were.

"Now what is jumping right out off the screen at us here is—this film is riddled with linear densities, and they're everywhere."

What ever could it be?

Our worst nightmare, that's what.

Ghali said the "innumerable" amount of the visible floating particles was a condition known as "cysticercosis."

He continued:

"Essentially these are larval cysts of taenia solium—also known as the pork tapeworm."

While the lifecycle of the taenia solium was "complex" to breakdown, he did say that their lifecycle begins with a person consuming raw or uncooked pork.

This leads to infection with the parasitic worms in the gastrointestinal tract, and their lifecycle continues with the infected individual passing the eggs along to another person who then consumes them.

"This cysts can travel anywhere throughout the body," he said, adding:

"In this patient, they’ve traveled heavily to the muscular and the soft tissues of the hips and legs."

He clarified that in this situation, the condition did not pose a life-threatening problem to its host.

Ghali also mentioned the discovery of the cysticercosis was made when the x-ray was taken after the patient fell and experienced hip pain as a result.

"These were all incidental findings," he said of the larval cysts.

Ghali explained that the tapeworms lodge and calcify over time, giving their appearance known as "rice grain calcification."

"The problem is, when these travel to the brain and lodge there, that can cause very serious issues," Ghali said, and listed symptoms such as headaches, confusion, seizures and "even death," as a result.

This gave the internet the heebie-jeebies.





Ghali said the moral of the story is a reminder for us to always wash our hands and "never, ever, under any circumstances, eat raw or undercooked pork."

Duly noted.




According to the Cleveland Clinic, cysticercosis is not that common in North America, however, "about 2% of emergency room visits for seizures in the U.S. are from cysticercosis."

One of the main preventions is to "wash your hands with soap and water frequently, especially after using the bathroom, after changing diapers, before eating and before preparing food."

They also strongly advise people to "wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly or peel before eating" and to avoid drinking untreated water.

More from Trending

Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less
People protesting, one protestor holding a sign that reads, 'Enough'
Photo by Liam Edwards on Unsplash

People Explain The Pettiest Reasons They Boycott A Specific Brand

No matter how many complaints we file or phone calls we make, some businesses refuse to catch a hint about their bad practices until we hit it where it hurts the most: their bottom line.

While some people will give a business every possible chance before refusing to be a customer anymore, others will boycott over the most petty reasons in existence.

Keep ReadingShow less