Sushi Lover's Entire Body Infected with Tapeworms After Eating Contaminated Sashimi: Facts

Story:

Sushi lover man’s entire body left riddled with WORMS after eating contaminated Sashimi.

Other Versions

1. Shocking pictures show sushi lover’s entire body riddled with tapeworms.

2. Man’s Entire Body Flooded with Worms after Eating Sushi.

3. Chinese sushi-lover infected with multiple tapeworms after eating raw fish delicacy.

Picture of Sushi Lover's Entire Body Infected with Tapeworms After Eating Contaminated Sashimi — Sushi Lover’s Entire Body Infected with Tapeworms After Eating Contaminated Sashimi

Analysis:

Stories in circulation online since at least September 2014 come with some shocking pictures to show that a Sushi lover man’s entire body was left riddled with Tapeworms after eating contaminated Sashimi, i.e. raw slices of fish. It is said that the Chinese man had stomach ache and itchy skin before scans revealed his entire body deadly infected with tapeworm, and that the doctors said it was due to the large amount of raw fish he had eaten. Thankfully, the claims are not facts.

On 22 September 2014, an article published in Chinese-language website hk.on.cc reported about the story in question stating that medical officials had confirmed the x-rays were genuine. The story was soon taken by some English news outlets like mail Online dailymail.co.uk, which is how the story became popular. However, many experts said that this kind of tapeworm infestation by simply eating Sushi and raw fish (Sashimi) is not generally possible. The disturbing pictures actually belong to a case report published in British Medical Journal, where a 74-year-old patient enjoyed eating uncooked Pork and Beef as an adult. CT scans and X-rays of the patient revealed numerous cysticerci in various parts of his internal body. Doctors said that it was the case of a very rare infectious disease called Disseminated cysticercosis, a type of Cysticercosis in which the cysticerci spread throughout the body. In other words, what the pictures show is in fact the result of a parasitic tapeworm infection caused by the eating of raw or undercooked pork. And more importantly, what appears in the x-rays are not actually the tapeworms themselves; they are calcified cysts that formed as a result of the infection.

So the stories with shocking pictures claiming to show a man’s entire body flooded with Tapeworms after eating Sushi and Sashimi (raw fish) are hoaxes. The pictures actually show calcified cysts that resulted due to a parasitic tapeworm infection caused by the eating of raw or undercooked pork and beef. Nonetheless, it is always good to check the quality of fish you intake, especially in case of raw fish.