When people saw the CT scan of a 10-year-old child infected with a "rice-grain" parasite, they were shocked.

While it's well-known that consuming undercooked meat can have serious health consequences, those who saw the frightening CT scans in this case were horrified by the potential outcomes.

The situation began in 2023, after a report on “Disseminated Whole-Body Cysticercosis” was published. This condition, caused by a parasite, spreads throughout the body.

Medical professionals Mohd Ilyas and Vikrant Mahajan shared CT scans of the young girl's brain and legs in their publication. According to their study, the 10-year-old experienced multiple “tonic-clonic seizures,” which would have caused her to lose consciousness.

E.R. doctor Sam Ghali, M.D., shared the CT images on X (formerly Twitter), calling them “one of the craziest CT scans [he’s] ever seen” because they showed that the girl’s brain and legs were infested with parasites due to undercooked pork consumption.

These parasites caused her to have convulsions, triggered by “innumerable” small lesions across her brain and muscles.

According to Ilyas and Mahajan’s study, consuming raw or undercooked pork, or ingesting fecal matter, can lead to “Cysticercosis,” an infection caused by larvae.

Eating improperly cooked pork allows cysts to form, which later develop into adult tapeworms. These tapeworms then lay eggs, and the larvae spread through the bloodstream.

Dr. Ghali noted that this condition causes more than 50,000 deaths annually and affects around 50 million people worldwide.

The research highlights that developing nations, particularly those in Asia and Africa, are more prone to this problem due to limited access to sanitation and poor hygiene.

As Ilyas and Mahajan explain in their paper, these factors contribute to the spread of the infection.

The CT scans were shared on the r/Parasitology subreddit, where the top comment read, “I’m speechless… poor baby.”

Another user was initially unsure what they were seeing, beyond the fact that it was concerning, prompting a reply, “Yes. Every single shred of muscle visible on that scan is infested. It’s shocking.”

A third commenter said, “The fact that humans can survive this is insane. But I think I’m going to be sick…”

The article also reports that the 10-year-old’s condition has “clinically” improved, which is reassuring for those following her case.

This improvement followed a treatment plan involving oral steroids and antiepileptic drugs, which appear to have alleviated her symptoms.