Question

What is the difference between taeniasis and cysticercosis?

Answer 1

Taenia solium is an intestinal parasite (tapeworm), which is present throughout the world. The organism can infect the healthy humans when they eat contaminated pork, so its infections are more prevalent in countries where the people eat more pork.

Infecting form of T. solium such as gravid proglottids exits in feces of humans and they propagate via vectors such as cow and pig followed by the release of the eggs from gravid proglottids. These eggs undergo hatching process followed by the development of hexacanth (having 3 pairs of hooks) oncosphere; These forms are going to enter into the muscle cells when infected beef or pork eaten by healthy human and produces cysticercus in muscle (they can also migrate into other tissue) associated with evagination in bile acids of the intestine.

If the cysticercus migrate into the brain, they are likely to cause epilepsy, tumor growths, lesions in the brain and blindness. It can also cause other neurological problems such as meningitis, epilepsy and even death.

If the adult worms enter the intestine, it is called, “taeniasis.” The infected individuals may or may not show the symptoms. A single dose of anti-parasitic drug is most effect.