BOY STRICKEN WITH PARASITE DOING BETTER.Byline: Ivan Sciupac Daily News Staff Writer A 10-year-old Sylmar boy who suffered a seizure after a worm got into his brain improved from critical to fair condition, a hospital spokesman said Saturday. The boy's condition, cysticercosis cysticercosis /cys·ti·cer·co·sis/ (sis?ti-ser-ko´sis) infection with cysticerci. In humans, infection with the larval forms of Taenia solium. cys·ti·cer·co·sis n. , is usually caused by eating undercooked pork or beef, said spokesman Ron Yukelson of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles although in this case, doctors aren't sure how the child contracted the parasite. After being ingested in·gest tr.v. in·gest·ed, in·gest·ing, in·gests 1. To take into the body by the mouth for digestion or absorption. See Synonyms at eat. 2. , tapeworm tapeworm, name for the parasitic flatworms forming the class Cestoda. All tapeworms spend the adult phase of their lives as parasites in the gut of a vertebrate animal (called the primary host). larvae Larvae, in Roman religion Larvae: see lemures. in the undercooked meat can develop and penetrate the intestinal wall, invading other tissues, including the brain. The illness is ``not rare and it's not frequent,'' Yukelson said. ``The fact is, you and I could have a worm floating through our bodies right now,'' Yukelson said. ``Either nothing can happen, or you can experience psychosis or a seizure.'' Doctors were not able to talk to the boy's parents because they were distraught Friday night, Yukelson said Saturday. The boy was breathing with the help of a ventilator Friday and was listed in critical condition. On Saturday, his condition improved and he was transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular hospital room. The boy was found unconscious in the bathroom of his home about 6:30 p.m. Friday, said Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. spokesman Brian Humphrey. The hospital declined to release the boy's name. |
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