Now We Know How RFK Jr. Got So Cracked- After A Worm Became A Resident In His Brain.

 

                                Tapeworm cysts in brain of Barbados patient

                                     Dead worm found in his brain could explain a lot

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent disclosure that a doctor apparently found a dead worm in his brain has triggered questions about what brain parasites are, the damage they can cause and how, exactly, they get there. Let's also be clear it's not unusual and such cases are common in tropical regions, such as the eastern Caribbean island chain.  For example, in the rural regions of the island of St. Lucia where women often wash clothes in streams, e.g.

There is the danger of river flukes, a vicious parasitical worm:

that can easily gain  entry to the body. The infection originates with a particular host snail (e.g. Bulinus truncatus). Once the snail appears, say in a stream, it need harbor but one parasite within it. Then if stringent medical control measures aren't brought to bear quickly it can spread like wildfire. Once the ciliated larva or Miracidium semi-matures inside the body of the right snail and escapes into the water, it will have 2 suckers and a forked digestive tube, called "cercarias".  The cercerias then attach themselves to the skin as the fluke digests its way through it to a blood vessel. It's then carried in the blood stream to the blood vessels of the intestine. There, the young fluke will feed and grow into an adult eventually mating and producing hundreds of eggs. Some of the eggs may end up in the brain, lung or heart and others in the liver where they lodge and inflame the tissue, causing much of the agony of schistosomiasis.

In RFK Jr's case the worm corpse was of a tapeworm which can produce cysts, such as in the top graphic. His dead worm was detected ten years ago, and some media sites have claimed the thing "ate" part of his then brain. But as CBS medical specialist Dr. Celine Grounder pointed out yesterday (CBS Mornings) worms do not "eat" brains, rather they infest them with larvae which can then become cysts.  (See image at top)

Doctors consulted by The New York Times speculated that Kennedy described symptoms of an infection by larvae from the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, one of multiple types of tapeworm that can infect the brain.  

Readers of this blog may recall (or not) in late 2016 Steve Bannon's planned “deconstruction of the administrative state,” meaning torpedoing the system of taxes, regulations and agency oversight the current structure of government supports. In other words, presumably eradicating all those elements of the federal "bureaucracy" that ensure your milk is free of fecal matter, your burgers of E Coli., your drinking water of perchlorates and lead, and your canned tuna free of botulism. Oh, and your food is free from tapeworm larvae!  (Look for a return on the mission to "deconstruct" the regulatory state if Trump gets back in again)

Look, when a person accidentally swallows pork tapeworm eggs, the eggs hatch in the intestines, and the larvae can travel to other organs, including the brain. There, they form cysts, causing a condition known as neurocysticercosis. Humans, especially in third world nations.  are typically exposed to tapeworms through raw or undercooked food or through food contaminated with feces.  Many inhabitants of the islands of the Caribbean have infections noted when or if they have severe seizures - or go on machete rampages. Others simply experience a major regression in cognition.  This is what I suspect has happened to RFK Jr though he has been bragging "I will gobble five more brain eating worms and still beat both Trump and Biden in debates!"  Uh, I think not, Bobby Jr.  Ok, maybe just barely beat Trump but not Biden.

It can take months, or even years, for people to show signs of infection. Symptoms vary based on how many cysts develop and where they are. (Cysts can form in the eyes, muscles and spinal cord.) Generally, though, people with neurocysticercosis experience headaches and seizures, and they sometimes feel confused, struggle to pay attention and have issues with balance. The condition can be fatal, but outside of the third world is most often detrimental to cognition and the ability to do any kind of critical thinking.  This is evident with Kennedy and his anti-vaccine bollocks in which he can't even sustain consistent answers to questions. (Such as on a Real Time episode 3 weeks ago).

I've already noted that one way human brains stand to degrade from global warming is the proliferation of worm parasites, such as tapeworm larvae and river flukes, which will spread and infest a majority of the populace - especially in impoverished regions and especially where global warming is ramping up.

See e.g. my earlier post on the horrors to emerge from global warming here:.

  http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2011/08/biological-nightmares-of-climate-change.html


 In the case of Taenia solium, or the tapeworm,  before the worms become adults they spend time as larvae in large cysts, which may find their way into the brain (see image) and cause a condition known as neurocysticercosis. Lowball estimates suggest 5 million cases of epilepsy arising from this condition, worldwide. The numbers are increasing as the worm -cyst invasion of the human body is increasing. (See the excellent monograph, Parasite Rex).  Most of the cases, understandably, are in the less developed world, but that is changing as hotter temperatures become the norm in the developed nations.

Treatment options vary because infections span such a wide range. Many are treatable with antiparasitic drugs, which patients may need to take for weeks. Doctors may also prescribe steroids to help with inflammation. Some patients will undergo surgery to remove cysts. I doubt RFK Jr has had this done but even if he has, there is still evidence of cognitive regression and who knows how long the worm or worms resided in his gray matter prior to eviction.

Fortunately, many of these infections are preventable. To lower your risk, especially while traveling internationally, he advised washing hands thoroughly before you eat or prepare food, cooking food properly and ensuring that the water you’re drinking is clean.   

For those in the U.S. just hope Trump doesn't sneak into power again and appoint baboons like Scott Pruitt or Steve Bannon to eradicate what's left of the regulatory state, thereby enabling millions of these pork tapeworms e.g.

To spread within our meat supply - causing millions of our fellow citizens to have larvae in their brains, leading to permanent cognitive impairment. But perhaps that's Trump's desire in the end to get a compliant populace while he runs amuck.  Hell, that tapeworm image could well be the symbol of the bext Trump administration!

See Also:

• Worms in Human Brains: Why The Epidemic?
• And:

 The Bannon Deregulatory "Juggernaut" Wreaks Havoc On Citizens' Lives