A Cardiff woman, Lowri Denman, faced a decade-long battle with seizures, psychosis, and profound medical uncertainty after contracting a pork tapeworm during a two-month trip to India. Despite adhering to a strict vegetarian diet during her travels to avoid food-borne illnesses, Denman, 42, was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis—a severe parasitic infection that occurs when tapeworm larvae build up inside the central nervous system. Brain scans eventually revealed that the infection had left her with 38 distinct parasitic cysts scattered throughout her brain.

The diagnosis triggered years of intense and destabilizing medical treatments. Denman suffered repeated debilitating seizures, forcing her to give up her independent lifestyle, move back home to be cared for, and rely on welfare assistance. Doctors consulted global tropical disease experts, administering heavy regimens of steroids and the chemotherapy drug methotrexate to combat the infection. The physical toll and profound trauma of the prolonged treatment ultimately led to severe panic attacks, paranoia, and a three-month admission to a neuropsychiatric ward for psychosis. Denman’s case highlights that neurocysticercosis is typically transmitted through water or food contaminated by poor sanitation practices, rather than the direct consumption of meat.