Man Says He Contracted 9-Foot Tapeworm at Shaw's

By Margaret Lyons in Food on Aug 19, 2008 5:34PM

Just in case you ever wanted to sleep again, allow us to prevent that with this one phrase: "passed a 9-foot tapeworm." Ah! See you in my nightmares, tapeworm!

Anthony Franz is suing Shaw's Crab House, and its parent company Lettuce Entertain You, because he says that's where he contracted said tapelstiltskin, he claims from undercooked fish. A rep for Lettuce says the restaurant isn't the source.

Most of the time, having a tapeworm won't result in any symptoms, and more than 95 percent of people infected with tapeworms respond fully to medication. The best way to prevent tapeworm infection is to wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. [S-T, Mayo Clinic, photo is of the Flukeman from a second-season episode of The X-Files called "The Host." I really wanted the photo of the guy barf/coughing up the worm in the shower, but I couldn't find it. Anyway, hi, Flukeman.]