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RFK Jr. says he had parasitic brain worm and undisclosed memory loss

May 8, 2024

The New York Times reports that independent presidential candidate and vaccine-skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said doctors told him a parasite had consumed part of his brain, after experiencing memory loss and brain fog in 2010.

Kennedy, now 70, made those statements in a 2012 deposition during divorce proceedings from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, where he argued that his cognitive symptoms had diminished his earning power.

After he reportedly experienced memory loss, a 2012 brain scan revealed a dark spot on Kennedy’s brain, which several doctors at the time believed to be a tumor. However, a counterdiagnosis was offered by another doctor who concluded that the spot “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died,” Kennedy reportedly said in the deposition.

Doctors ultimately concluded that the cyst they saw on his brain scans contained the remains of a parasite. Kennedy said he might have contracted the parasite on a trip to South Asia, but wasn't completely sure.

Several infectious disease experts and neurosurgeons said in separate interviews with The New York Times that, based on what Kennedy described, they believed it was likely a pork tapeworm larva. However, the doctors haven't treated Kennedy and were speaking generally.

Even so, infectious disease experts say it's unlikely that a parasite would eat a part of the brain, as Kennedy described. Unlike intestinal tapeworm larvae, those in the brain remain relatively small, about a third of an inch, and can survive on nutrients from the body.

Individuals with pork tapeworm infections in their brains—a condition known as neurocysticercosis—more commonly experience seizures. When the worms die, they form a calcified cyst in the brain that can cause the brain to release cytokines.

The New York Times also reported that following the parasite, Kennedy was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning that likely resulted from eating high quantities of tuna and perch. According to the deposition, Kennedy noted that he suffered from both short-term and long-term memory loss as a result.

Kennedy has since said he's made a full recovery from the parasite and mercury poisoning, and that the parasite did not require treatment.

Sources:

Craig, Susanne. (2024, May 8). The New York Times. R.F.K. Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Work in His Brain. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/us/rfk-jr-brain-health-memory-loss.html

Shen, Michelle. (2024, May 8). CNN. NYT: RFK Jr. says worm 'got in my brain and ate a portion of it'. https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/08/politics/rfk-jr-mercury-poisoning-brain-parasite/index.html