31 Pig Tapeworm - Taenia solium

31.1 One Life Cycle

Lifecycle starts w human eating pork (raw/undercooked).

Cyst is eaten, grows in intestine into tapeworm.

Passing eggs in stool. Eaten by pig. Pig gets cysts

Proglottid has fewer uterine branches than seen in beef tapeworm.

Zoonosis called Taeniasis.

This happens where pigs eat human waste.

31.2 Another life cycle

Human can also eat the eggs, and become the intermediate host.

We get cysts

This causes cysticercosis. Neurocystericosis!

31.3 Presentation

Taeniasis - Asymptomatic. GI upset

Cysticercosis - New onset of epilepsy. Blindness. Myelitis. This happens when they die

31.4 Diagnosis

Taeniasis - like every other diagnosis of worms

Cysticercosis - History, MRI, Skeletal survey (calcified cysts). You can get an eosinophila here.

Can you have your own worm and infect yourself? Probably yes! 20% of patients with cystericosis also have worms.

31.5 Treat

Treat their epilepsy like normal epilepsy. Once the cyst is there, you can’t “cure” the epilepsy as such, that cyst isn’t going anywhere, and was dead anyway.

Cysticercosis: Kill off the cysts if multiple cysts. Especially if cysts of multiple ages. Through giving corticosteroids and albendazole. You need to give the steroids first! Else inflammation can cause real real real problems.

If someone just has taeniasis, then praziquantel. But not if cysticercosis!