Disturbing X-ray shows body infested with tapeworms after major kitchen mistake

A disturbing X-ray has been shared on social media, showing what a body infested with tapeworms looks like.

Sam Ghali, of the University of Florida, uploaded the photo on X, calling it one of the 'most insane X-rays I’ve ever seen'.

It is possible that the individual may have made an unfortunate mistake in the kitchen that led to the parasites camping inside their body.

Known as cysticercosis, the infection can be caused by eating raw or undercooked pork that's been contaminated with tapeworms, or also via transmission.

What is cysticercosis?

The parasitic infection is 'caused by the larvae (immature worm) of the tapeworm, Taenia solium', according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"A person gets cysticercosis by consuming tapeworm eggs. These eggs hatch and develop into larvae," they explained.

"The larvae then penetrate (move through) a person's intestinal wall and move to tissues like muscle, eyes, or brain. This is where the cysts, or cysticerci, develop."

In the video, Ghali said that the person may have caught cysticercosis from eating undercooked, or raw pork.

However, the CDC clarified that 'cysticercosis does not spread from eating raw or undercooked pork' alone, the pork needs to be infected with cysticerci to begin with.

They added that humans can only get the infection if they consume food or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs.

What happens if you get cysticercosis?

"These cysts can travel anywhere throughout the entire body, heavily to the muscular and soft tissue of the hips and the legs," Ghali said.

"If just in the pelvis, they don’t pose a life-threatening problem.

"The problem is if they travel to the brain and lodge there.

"That can cause very serious issues. As you can imagine, that can lead to neurological symptoms like headaches, confusion, seizures and even death."

How to avoid cysticercosis

Unfortunately, if you consume pork that has been infected by cysticerci, and it's slightly undercooked, then there's not much you can do about it.

But one thing you can do is keep your kitchen as clean as possible to avoid it spreading.

"Poor cleanliness or sanitation can spread tapeworm eggs to others through contaminated food or water," the CDC added.

"Living with someone with a tapeworm raises the risk of developing cysticercosis.

"People with tapeworms can infect themselves with eggs, leading to cysticercosis (autoinfection)."

Sadly, those who live in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are more at risk due to 'unimproved sanitation facilities,' defined as an area 'where there is no separation of human waste from human contact'.