The lead singer of Australian punk band Frenzel Rhomb has revealed he has had surgery to remove a pig tapeworm from his brain.

Huffington Post reports that Jay Whalley is a vegetarian – something which has prompted a horrified chorus of WTFs from around the world.

Thoughtful Whalley took to Facebook to explain all – and supplied a gruesome picture of the scar too.

It all began in January with the 40-year-old singer experiencing a series of seizures which led to the discovery of what doctors thought was a potentially cancerous brain tumour.

Later tests revealed it was neurocysticercosis – an infection caused by a pork tapeworm (cysticercosis) which had found its way into his brain.

Whalley recounted the subsequent conversation with his doctor: “A what tapeworm?”

“A pig “

“A pig?!? I’m f—ing vegetarian! How did I get the egg from a f—ing pig worm in my brain?!?”

It appears the parasite ended up in Whalley’s head after the eggs were transferred to him from the feces of an infected person via ingestion – in this case en route a vegetarian burrito prepared by an infected chef who didn’t wash his hands properly.

The parasite is most commonly found in Mexico and large parts of Central America – and Whalley’s infection was traced back to a visit to the region four years ago.