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Medical Author:

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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In this Article

• What is cysticercosis?
• What causes cysticercosis?
• How is cysticercosis transmitted?
• What are the symptoms of cysticercosis?
• How is cysticercosis diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for cysticercosis?
• What are the complications of cysticercosis?
• How is cysticercosis prevented?
• Cysticercosis At A Glance
• Cysticercosis Index

The potential complications of cysticercosis may include the following:

• Seizure
  
  
• Stroke



• Vision changes
  
  
• Cognitive problems
  
  
• Death

In general, the prognosis for the majority of patients with cysticercosis is excellent with proper management. Patients with NCC and seizures have a good prognosis if the patient obtains antiseizure medications and if the acute lesion clears on subsequent CT exams.

The prevention of cysticercosis can be achieved through various measures including the following:

• Public education regarding the parasite and its route of transmission
  
  
• Avoidance of raw or undercooked pork (USDA says safe cooked pork reaches 160 degrees F) in endemic areas
  
  
• Avoidance of potential fecal-oral routes of transmission through hand washing, good personal hygiene, as well as through the proper handling and preparation of foods
  
  
• Meat inspection and the proper disposal of infected meat in endemic areas
  
  
• Improved sanitary measures for human waste disposal in endemic areas



• Screening contacts of infected individuals and instituting appropriate treatment
  
  
• Developing a vaccine for the prevention of cysticercosis, which may be used in the future; currently, there is no vaccine approved for use in humans

• Cysticercosis is a parasitic disease caused by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium.
• Humans are infected by ingesting raw or undercooked pork, and cysticercosis occurs after the ingestion of Taenia solium eggs.
• The symptoms of neurocysticercosis may include headaches, confusion, seizures, and vision changes.
• Cysticercosis is typically diagnosed based on the patient's symptoms and imaging study results. Blood work is sometimes useful.
• Cysticercosis may be treated with medications, including anthelmintics, corticosteroids, and anticonvulsants, while some patients may require surgery.
• Cysticercosis can lead to neurologic and ocular complications, and rarely death.
• Cysticercosis can be prevented by educating individuals about proper food handling, avoidance of raw or undercooked pork, and good personal hygiene.

REFERENCES:

Garcia, Hector H., Armando E. Gonzalez, Carlton A.W. Evans, Robert H. Gilman. "Taenia solium Cysticercosis." The Lancet 361 Aug. 16, 2003: 547.<http://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/NCIDPD/Garcia%20cysticercosis%20review.pdf>.

Mansur, Mossammat, Martin Montes, and Linda Yancey. "Cysticercosis." eMedicine. July 25, 2008. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/215589-overview>.

Switzerland. World Health Organization. "Taeniasis/Cysticercosis." <http://www.who.int/zoonoses/diseases/taeniasis/en/>.

Tenzer, Ryan, and Howard Blumstein. "Cysticercosis." eMedicine. Apr. 28, 2009. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/781845-overview>.

United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Cysticercosis." Mar. 31, 2008. <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/cysticercosis/factsht_cysticercosis.htm>.

United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Cysticercosis." July 20, 2009. <http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/html/imagelibrary/Cysticercosis_il.htm>.