When a construction worker began having regular seizures that made him lose consciousness and foam at the mouth, he had no idea what was causing the disturbing medical episodes.

Zhu Zhongfa, 42, a construction worker, sought treatment in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in East China.

Dr Huang Jianrong, from Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, ordered a series of brain MRIs to find out what the problem was.

They revealed that Mr Zhu’s brain and chest were riddled with more than 700 worms caused by eating undercooked pork.

It's believed the man had ingested eggs of the parasite Taenia solium, better known as the pork tapeworm.

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Doctors believe he likely contracted the tissue infections known as cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis - the latter affecting the brain - after having an undercooked meal.

The larvae entered Mr Zhu’s body via his digestive system and made their way to his head via his bloodstream, feeding on his brain, reports said.

The scan showed a brain riddled with tapeworm. Credit: AsiaWire / ZJU 1st Hospital / AsiaWire / ZJU 1st Hospital

“He not only had numerous space-occupying lesions in his brain, he also had cysts in his lungs and chest muscles," Dr Huang said.

“Different patients respond differently to the infection depending on where the parasites occupy.

“In this case, he had seizures and lost consciousness, but others with cysts in their lungs might cough a lot.

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“We killed the larvae using antiparasitic drugs and prescribed medication to protect his organs and reduce any side effects brought on by the treatment.

“Phase one of the treatment has now concluded after a successful week.

“Now we’ll run further tests.”

It is still unclear whether Mr Zhu will suffer any long-term effects from the tapeworm infection.