swimmermom3 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 This morning I cooked bacon for ds's breakfast - Farmland Bacon to be specific. As I laid it out on paper towels to pull up the grease, I noticed weird still bright white segments in the bacon. I've never seen that before and I have been cooking bacon for a long time. I've also grown up with cats, dogs, and horses and that sure looked like a tapeworm segment to me. In case I was overreacting, I just cut away those sections. Is this common? How freaked out should I be? Vegetarian is looking better and better these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This is why I don't eat pork...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 My initial thought was fat, but I would definitely contact the manufacturer just in case. Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 This morning I cooked bacon for ds's breakfast - Farmland Bacon to be specific. As I laid it out on paper towels to pull up the grease, I noticed weird still bright white segments in the bacon. I've never seen that before and I have been cooking bacon for a long time. I've also grown up with cats, dogs, and horses and that sure looked like a tapeworm segment to me. In case I was overreacting, I just cut away those sections. Is this common? How freaked out should I be? Vegetarian is looking better and better these days. Didn't we used to have a vomit emoji? Ugh. I'd be getting out my microscope and taking a close look, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Even without the mild morning sickness nausea I have, I should not have opened this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Didn't we used to have a vomit emoji? Ugh. I'd be getting out my microscope and taking a close look, I think. :D Homeschool much? How'd you know I saved them in a plastic bag. I am having a heck of time finding anything with google, except for one man who also had FarmLand bacon and the weird white bits. I am about 95% sure it's not fat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Ick! Gross alert (don't read if squeamish): I have had a tapeworm. The lab report said it was from pork. I am not a pork fan, but I do eat bacon... Now I wonder if that's where it came from! Ewww. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Can tapeworms even migrate out of the digestive system? I've never thought about it to much before and I'm not sure if I want to google... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatteMama Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I recently saw a thing where a guy had a tapeworm in his brain. Yuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Can tapeworms even migrate out of the digestive system? I've never thought about it to much before and I'm not sure if I want to google... yup, they migrate. But their lifestages are complicated. The biggest complication is if they lodge in human brain. They can cause epilepsy... But if I remember it right, the pork tapeworm lifestages has it in a larval form in the pig muscle tissue. The larval form needs to be indgested by humans to complete its lifecycle. So even if you saw something, it should be larval.... Btw, we are the definitive hosts for this parasite. The pigs get infected by us, through our feces & they're the intermediary host. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Oh, why did i click?!? Curiosity gets me every time... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Why did I read through this? Oh, yes, so I could learn something new today. Still . . . :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 yup, they migrate. But their lifestages are complicated. The biggest complication is if they lodge in human brain. They can cause epilepsy... But if I remember it right, the pork tapeworm lifestages has it in a larval form in the pig muscle tissue. The larval form needs to be indgested by humans to complete its lifecycle. So even if you saw something, it should be larval.... Btw, we are the definitive hosts for this parasite. The pigs get infected by us, through our feces & they're the intermediary host. *shudder* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 :D Homeschool much? How'd you know I saved them in a plastic bag. I am having a heck of time finding anything with google, except for one man who also had FarmLand bacon and the weird white bits. I am about 95% sure it's not fat. :lol: I'm not sure if it's about homeschooling so much as the fact that I MUST KNOW THE ANSWER. Drives my DH crazy, but it made me a great research editor :lol: TBH, after I read your first post, I was kinda hoping for a picture. You have to tell us what you find out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 :lol: I'm not sure if it's about homeschooling so much as the fact that I MUST KNOW THE ANSWER. Drives my DH crazy, but it made me a great research editor :lol: TBH, after I read your first post, I was kinda hoping for a picture. You have to tell us what you find out! :svengo: I admit I was looking for a picture too. Also notice how everyone seemed to assume 'of course she has a microscope and will use it' ha ha ha I love homeschoolers and all those who are eternally curious. Would this case be 'internally curious' though? ETA: Changed 'no one' to 'everyone" to match my original intent. sigh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yes, picture please. I assume you cooked the remaining bacon to well done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Picture please! A nice clear HD one. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I went looking for pictures of worms in bacon and found this. It seems apropos. http://www.foodbeast.com/2013/07/08/things-you-wish-you-didnt-know-about-bacon/ Also this: http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/01/05/how-bacon-can-save-you-from-flesh-eating-parasites/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 :scared: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I went looking for pictures of worms in bacon and found this. It seems apropos. http://www.foodbeast.com/2013/07/08/things-you-wish-you-didnt-know-about-bacon/ Also this: http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/01/05/how-bacon-can-save-you-from-flesh-eating-parasites/ I'm never sleeping again. That first picture in the second link! :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yes, picture please. I assume you cooked the remaining bacon to well done? That's really kind of the grossest part. I discovered them after I had cooked it. We like our bacon crispy, but those little white polyps disturbed me so I cut them off. I just had to fire the question off to Farmland's customer service, because, yes, inquiring minds want to know. They'll probably tell me that pig had special, more flavorful fat. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yeah, I can't see them ever 'fessing up to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 ...Love this thread! :zombie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 ...but we do need pics... :zombie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 And that is one of the reasons I don't eat pork. Now what I'm wondering (and honestly have never researched) is could there be tapeworm eggs in the meat and would you be able to see those? What heat for how long would you need to actually kill them in that form? I think I'll just keep skipping bacon and shellfish. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 And that is one of the reasons I don't eat pork. Now what I'm wondering (and honestly have never researched) is could there be tapeworm eggs in the meat and would you be able to see those? What heat for how long would you need to actually kill them in that form? I think I'll just keep skipping bacon and shellfish. lol I don't eat pork or shellfish, either. We can eat chicken together. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 :scared: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I just don't know how something like a tape worm could survive that high of a temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I just don't know how something like a tape worm could survive that high of a temperature. No, it won't survive. It's dead carcass will still be there though.... Fear the zombie tapeworm!!! :zombiechase: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cakes Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Ick! So if the larva does not survive the cooking how do humans get infected? A couple of things here have my heart beating a bit faster....my son eats bacon DAILY and has just been diagnosed with epilepsy. I am trying not to freak out, assuming that an MRI/ CAT scan or something would have revealed if he had tapeworms in his brain. Please tell me I am correct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 According to Medline: "In the U.S., laws on feeding practices and the inspection of domestic food animals have largely eliminated tapeworms. Avoiding raw meat and cooking meat well enough (to greater than 140 degrees F for 5 minutes) will prevent tapeworm infection. Freezing meats to -4 degrees F for 24 hours also kills tapeworm eggs. Good hygiene and hand washing after using the toilet will prevent self-infection in a person who is already infected with tapeworms." Does bacon get cooked that high for that long, do you think? Cakes, I'm sorry, I don't know. I would really have to think, based on pictures that I've seen, that yes, if they've done brain scans, they would be able to see that. But I'm assuming. It might be worth asking the doc about, if only for peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 No, it won't survive. It's dead carcass will still be there though.... Fear the zombie tapeworm!!! :zombiechase: LOL...yum tapeworm carcass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Ok I think I figured out what this probably was. I've seen what you are talking about. I never considered there was something wrong, but I do notice that it happens sometimes only. So then it reminded me of kind of that scum that forms on the top of the water when you boil chicken. That stuff is just protein. So I wondered if the white stuff on the bacon is also a form of protein. I came across this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22062968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Just. No. :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Okay, a woman from customer service with a slightly pornographic name got back to me. I have to send them the packaging information and pictures. All I have for pictures are two of the white thingies that I cut out and put in a plastic bag. Dh asked me why I didn't take a picture of the actual bacon and take it up to the store. I don't know, maybe I was a bit grossed out and figured there had to be a logical explanation. I have to go back and look at hornblower's post. Worms would be in the intestine, right? And I think trichonosis worms or whatever, are microscopic. This just has to be a faulty pig, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Ugh. The cysts in pig muscle are not always that small. Here's a pic. http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/DiseaseInfo/ImageDB/TAE/TAE_001.jpg& another one on this page http://ivs.ku.dk/english/research/about_parasitology_and_aquatic_diseases/parasitic_zoonoses/cwgesa/cysticercosis_in_short/ & this makes for gross reading: Neglected Parasitic Infections in the United States: Cysticercosis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015568/ I know vegans are not exempt from worrying about this as all it takes is contamination of veg fields with human sewage or yanno, the farm worker. It's considered endemic in Mexico. :(There was a case of several Orthodox Jews being infected - apparently the housekeeper was the vector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Does bacon get cooked that high for that long, do you think? It does when I cook it. I can't get a thermometer into the skinny little things, but they're pretty darn crispy by the time I'm done with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Ugh. The cysts in pig muscle are not always that small. Here's a pic. http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/DiseaseInfo/ImageDB/TAE/TAE_001.jpg& another one on this page http://ivs.ku.dk/english/research/about_parasitology_and_aquatic_diseases/parasitic_zoonoses/cwgesa/cysticercosis_in_short/ & this makes for gross reading: Neglected Parasitic Infections in the United States: Cysticercosis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015568/ I know vegans are not exempt from worrying about this as all it takes is contamination of veg fields with human sewage or yanno, the farm worker. It's considered endemic in Mexico. :( There was a case of several Orthodox Jews being infected - apparently the housekeeper was the vector. Never mind. I don't want anymore pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 ...this thread is almost as fun as the time the professor brought roadkill to microbiology class! :zombie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 oh wait, no more pictures but finally someone wrote out the darned description. Source Canada Public Health "Adult worm: Mature worms are found only in humans. Adult worm grows to approximately 2-4 m. Scolex has 4 suckers and the rostellum has two crowns of horns. Gravid proglottids are 1 by 1 cm. The ovary consists of 2 lobes, 1 accessory lobe, and 1 genital pore. The gravid proglottids of T. solium have 12 lateral branches and no vaginal sphincter muscle. Larvae (cysticerci): As with T. saginata, the larval stage of the T. solium is also known as Cysticercus cellulosae. Cysticerci are 8-10 mm and are encompasses (sic) in a fluid filled bladder. Cysticerci are found in the muscles of the intermediate hosts and in the brain in the case of neurocysticercosis. Eggs: Eggs are spherical with a diameter of 30-40 μm. They have a think yellow-brown radiated shell and contain a 6 hooked embryo (oncosphere). They are morphologically indistinguishable form the eggs of Taenia saginata but, unlike the eggs of T. saginata, they are infectious to humans." The larval / cyst stage is not that small then. 8-10 mm would be easily visible to the eye white thingies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I really really need to stop coming back to this thread. I just googled and found all kind of things I didn't want to see. What I need to know is, if you have them in somewhere other than your intestines (like your leg, or--sweet pete--your eyeball), well...how do they get OUT? I saw an x-ray of someone's leg with what I assume were lots of little tapeworm larvae apparent throughout. So you take the anti-parasitic, and then what happens?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Ugh. The cysts in pig muscle are not always that small. Here's a pic. http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/DiseaseInfo/ImageDB/TAE/TAE_001.jpg& another one on this page http://ivs.ku.dk/english/research/about_parasitology_and_aquatic_diseases/parasitic_zoonoses/cwgesa/cysticercosis_in_short/ & this makes for gross reading: Neglected Parasitic Infections in the United States: Cysticercosis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015568/ I know vegans are not exempt from worrying about this as all it takes is contamination of veg fields with human sewage or yanno, the farm worker. It's considered endemic in Mexico. :( There was a case of several Orthodox Jews being infected - apparently the housekeeper was the vector. Hornblower, you are just a fountain of gross, yet fascinating knowledge! So that first picture - see how startling white the thingies are? So imagine a crispy piece of bacon and along the outer edges, you have startling white thingies just like your picture, but they are longer. The surrounding fat is crispy color, but they are still white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I came into this thread seeking refuge from the acne popping thread. I'll take wormy bacon over that, any day. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I came into this thread seeking refuge from the acne popping thread. I'll take wormy bacon over that, any day. :ack2: we could merge them in a gross House episode where someone popping acne discovers it's actually a parasitic worm infection..... :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 we could merge them in a gross House episode where someone popping acne discovers it's actually a parasitic worm infection..... :p :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Why do I keep opening this thread?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Why do I keep opening this thread?! I have no idea why you do;-) (my emoticons occasionally stop working) After the bacon episode and I couldn't find anything other than the one comment on the internet, I thought I would come here and you all would enlighten me that I was being silly and that everybody knows the white thingies are__________________. (except me of course) You all know everything and you've never failed me before. I can't wait to see what Bambi Dear from the customer service has to tell me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Many thanks. I needed some vegetarian inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Here's more vegetarian inspiration: Esther the Wonder Pig http://www.estherthewonderpig.com/#!media/cwztk'pow! I get you with the gross & the adorbs :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Many thanks. I needed some vegetarian inspiration. Sigh. I have leftovers for tonight's dinner. Chicken and pork loin. I am not feeling the love. While researching the pork I kept coming up with contamination levels for chicken. :tongue_smilie: In case you all are wondering, I made the pork loin before the bacon incident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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