An infection, rare in developed countries, characterized by the presence of cysts in muscles and in the brain that are formed by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm.
This disease rarely occurs except in Central Europe, Ethiopia, South Africa, and part of Asia. It results from ova (eggs) being swallowed or regurgitated into the stomach from an adult pork tapeworm in the intestine. In the stomach the larvae escape from the eggs and are absorbed. They are carried in the blood to various parts of the body, most commonly the subcutaneous tissue and skeletal muscle, where they develop and form cysticerci. When super?cial, they may be felt under the skin as small pea-like bodies. Although they cause no symptoms here, cysts may also develop in the brain. Five years later the larvae die, and the brain-tissue reaction may result in epileptic ?ts, obscure neurological disorders, and personality changes. The cysts calcify at this stage, though to a greater degree in the muscles than the brain, allowing them to be seen radiologically. Epilepsy starting in adult life, in anyone who has previously lived in an endemic area, should suggest the possibility of cysticercosis. (See also TAENIASIS.)
Treatment Most important is prevention of the initial tapeworm infection, by ensuring that pork is well cooked before it is eaten. Nurses and others attending to a patient harbouring an adult tapeworm must be careful to avoid ingesting ova from contaminated hands. The tapeworm itself can be destroyed with NICLOSAMIDE. Brain infections are treated with sedatives and anti-convulsants, surgery rarely being necessary. Most patients make a good recovery.
n. a disease caused by the presence of tapeworm larvae (see cysticercus) of the species *Taenia solium in any of the body tissues. Humans become infected on ingesting tapeworm eggs in contaminated food or drink. The presence of cysticerci in the muscles causes pain and weakness; in the brain the symptoms are more serious, including mental deterioration, paralysis, giddiness, epileptic attacks, and convulsions, which may be fatal. There is no specific treatment for this cosmopolitan disease although surgical removal of cysticerci may be necessary to relieve pressure on the brain.
n. a genus of large tapeworms, some of which are parasites of the human intestine. The 4–10 m long beef tapeworm, T. saginata, is the commonest tapeworm parasite of humans. Its larval stage (see cysticercus) develops within the muscles of cattle and other ruminants, and people become infected on eating raw or undercooked beef. T. solium, the pork tapeworm, is 2–7 m long. Its larval stage may develop not only in pigs but also in humans, in whom it may cause serious disease (see cysticercosis). See also taeniasis.... taenia
n. an infestation with tapeworms of the genus *Taenia. Humans become infected with the adult worms following ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing the larval stage of the parasite. The presence of a worm in the intestine may occasionally give rise to increased appetite, hunger pains, weakness, and weight loss. Worms are expelled from the intestine using various anthelmintics, including *niclosamide. See also cysticercosis.... taeniasis
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