Cysticercosis

Question 1

What causes Cysticercosis?

Answer 1

larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia Solium

Question 2

How do people become infected? Transmission?

Answer 2

people get cysticercosis when they swallow eggs that are excreted in the stool of people w/ the adult tapeworm

1) drink water or contaminated food w/tapeworms
2) put contaminated fingers in mouth

Question 3

Where is Cysticercosis found?

Answer 3

Worldwide- areas where pig cysticercosis is common

-most commonly found in rural areas with poor sanitations where pigs roam freely and eat human feces

Question 4

Signs and Symptoms of Cysticercosis

Answer 4

Depends on the cyst’s location, size, shape, and number

1) Brain
- most serious form–>neurocysticercosis
- asymptomatic
- seizures and headaches (most common)
- confusion, difficulty w/balance, brain swelling, and excess fluid around the brain (less common)
- stroke or death
2) Muscles
- Generally do not cause symptoms
- may cause a lump under the skin which can sometime be tender

Question 5

Taeniasis

Answer 5

caused by Taenia Solium

Question 6

Transmission cycle of Taeniasis

Answer 6

1) person w/adult tapeworm living in person gut sheds eggs in the stool
2) a pig then eats the eggs in the stool
3) eggs develop into larvae and form cysts (cysticercosis)
4) Humans who ingest undercooked or raw infected pork swallow the cysts in the meat
5) larvae come out of the cysts in the gut and develop into the tape worm