Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he suffered memory loss and severe brain fog more than a decade ago, potentially related to a parasite in his brain, according to to New York Times.
In a 2012 statement reviewed by Times, Kennedy said a worm “got into my brain and ate part of it and then died.” He said the cognitive issues later resolved. Around the same time, Times reports, Kennedy was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, which can also result in cognitive problems.
Although they look like something out of a horror movie, parasites can and do affect the human brain. Here’s what you should know.
How do parasites get into the brain?
According to Times‘, Kennedy said he didn’t know what kind of parasite was affecting him, but experts told the Times it probably came from the larvae of a tapeworm sometimes found in pork. People can ingest tapeworm eggs by eating contaminated food or water, resulting in parasitic infection. cysticercosis-what is called neurocysticercosis when it affects the brain.
Most often, people contract neurocysticercosis not directly from eating pork, but through exposure to fecal contamination, says Scott Gardner, curator of the Maintain Laboratory of Parasitology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. If someone eats undercooked pork while carrying a tapeworm, they may later pass the worm’s eggs through their feces. If the affected person does not properly wash their hands after using the bathroom, they can spread the tiny worm eggs on household surfaces or in food and water, potentially causing people to ingest them and become ill, according to the Health Centers. US Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When the eggs hatch and the larvae enter tissues such as the brain, they form cysts there.
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Neurocysticercosis is rare in the U.S. but is more common in parts of Asia and Latin America, says Gardner. As of 2017, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases estimated that only about 1,500 cases are diagnosed in the US each year. A 2012 study estimated its death rate at about 0.06 deaths per 1 million people in the U.S.
Toxoplasma gondii is another much more common parasite that can affect the human brain, resulting in infection toxoplasmosis. It can be transmitted through exposure to feline feces, as well as eating undercooked meat or seafood or drinking contaminated water, the CDC says. The CDC estimates that up to 40 million people in the U.S. carry the parasite, although many are unaware of it.
How dangerous are brain parasites?
Surprisingly, brain parasites don’t always cause serious problems, says Tajie Harris, an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Virginia School of Medicine who has studied brain parasites. “We get a lot of infections that we never notice or attribute to these viruses or parasites that end up in our brains long-term,” she says. “Most of them go into this dormant state and don’t cause us any problems throughout our lives.”
The Harris Pollfor example, showed that the brain launches such an effective immune response against T.gondii Many people never develop symptoms of toxoplasmosis. When people experience symptoms, which can be treated with antiparasitic medications in combination with antibiotics, they may develop flu-like muscle aches and swollen glands. Severe toxoplasmosis, which is most common among infants and severely immunocompromised people, can result in damage to the brain, eyes, and other organs. Some studies also linked the infection to mental health problemsalthough Harris says the science is less established.
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Neurocysticercosis may also remain latent for some time. People typically don’t develop symptoms until the cysts caused by the parasite die, which can take months or even years, the CDC says. Symptoms can include headaches, seizures, confusion, and difficulty concentrating and balancing. In severe cases, the condition can cause excess fluid around the brain, which can be fatal. Typically, neurocysticercosis can be treated with antiparasitic medications, sometimes used in combination with anti-inflammatory medications and surgery.
Michael Schulder, professor and vice chairman of neurosurgery at Northwell Health in New York, says the symptoms apparently suffered by Kennedy, including memory loss and mental confusion, are not typical of neurocysticercosis and would likely be associated with a “particularly large cyst that put pressure on the brain.”
The parasite also does not eat the brain, he explains. If this were the case, the sufferer would suffer permanent damage. “It might not be a serious injury that would prevent him from leading an independent life,” says Schulder, “but it would certainly prevent him from functioning 100 percent.”
How can I prevent brain parasites?
Good hygiene and food preparation practices are important. Health authorities emphasize the importance of washing your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, changing a child’s diaper or handling a cat’s litter box. And be sure to wash fresh produce and cook meat to a safe temperature, which for pork is at least 145°F.
But, Schulder says, the average person shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about parasitic brain infections — especially rare ones like neurocysticercosis. “In a society where public health and public hygiene measures are normally taken, and we have a Food and Drug Administration that oversees the production of food and how it is made available to the public,” he says, brain-invading parasites should not be a problem. main concern.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
