Never did Lowri Denman, a 42-year-old woman from the UK, ever imagine that her three-month trip to India in 2007 would end up her having 38 parasites in her brain.Yes, you read that right.In 2010, Denman experienced a startling health scare when she passed a nearly one-metre-long tapeworm while using the bathroom at a restaurant. Even though the initial medical tests appeared normal, her health deteriorated over the following year.In 2011, she suffered her first seizure. To her shock, brain scans revealed that there were 38 parasites lodged in her brain, leading doctors to diagnose her with neurocysticercosis, according to a BBC report.How did it happen?Doctors believe Lowri contracted the infection during a three-month trip to India in 2007. Although she avoided eating meat to reduce the risk of food poisoning, she is believed to have unknowingly consumed pork contaminated with microscopic eggs of the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium). These eggs can cause neurocysticercosis, a serious parasitic infection that affects the brain.Turns out, the parasites formed cysts in her brain due to which Lowri suffered severe headaches, recurrent seizures, psychosis and other neurological complications.Spent 6 months in neuropsychiatric hospitalLowri was initially treated with antiparasitic medication and steroids. Later scans showed significant swelling around the parasites, leading to symptoms, including confusion, numbness, tingling sensations, paranoia, psychosis, severe anxiety and panic attacks. Her condition became so severe that she had to leave her job, move in with her father, and spend six months in a neuropsychiatric hospital.The treatment eventually killed the parasites, eliminating the need for surgery. She returned to work in 2022.What is neurocysticercosis?According to the World Health Organization (WHO), neurocysticercosis is a preventable parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. It is one of the leading causes of epilepsy worldwide. The disease develops when tapeworm larvae enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain, where they form fluid-filled cysts.How is it transmitted?According to WHO, people can become infected by:Eating undercooked pork containing tapeworm larvae.Consuming food or water contaminated with Taenia solium eggs.Poor hygiene practices that allow tapeworm eggs to spread.