MAN DIES AFTER CONTRACTING CANCER FROM A TAPEWORM

A 41-year-old Colombian man died recently after contracting cancer from a tapeworm. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the worm, which had the HIV virus, passed it on to the man, causing this death on the third day of diagnosis.

The tapeworm is an intestinal flatworm belonging to the cestoda type, usually white, ribbon-like and almost always alone. Humans usually get infected by eating undercooked meats. The unwanted host hides as a parasite and once inside the human body it reached adulthood. Once inside, this worm can cause an infection called Taeniasis. Over 75 million people worldwide have this parasite, and it usually locates itself in your intestines, affecting specially children and elderly people.

Taeniasis shows no symptoms, reason why it can be so dangerous. It is known that in some rural areas, many children have died from this disease, since most barely show any symptoms at all. This parasitic worm can cause digestive problems, such as abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss and stomach aches. The most visible symptoms are part of the tapeworm visible in the anus and feces.

A recognized American pathologist was surprised after the results of an autopsy performed on man who died of lung cancer in 2013 came back. They found that the injuries that killed him where not human, and that the cancer cells that infected the patient belonged to the DNA of a parasite.

This is the first “non-human” cancer case in the world. Measures should be taking, because this first finding should serve as an alert to avoid future similar cases. Meats should be cooked at a proper temperature.

However, this has left many wondering, could this be the only case? To keep things as objective as possible, we must remember that patients who have the HIV virus have an extremely weak immune system. One small infected could affect them very much. Nevertheless, since children and elderly people are the most vulnerable group as regards this parasite, it is important that we create the necessary health awareness.