Cysticercosis is caused by ingesting eggs of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. The eggs pass into tissues and preferentially migrate to the brain and muscles. There are two forms - cysticercosis occurs when a human ingests eggs and develops cysts in their tissues, while taeniasis is when an adult tapeworm develops in the intestines from ingesting cysts in undercooked pork. The tapeworm has a two-host lifecycle between humans and pigs, where eggs passed in human feces can infect pigs who then pass cysticerci that infect humans if eaten undercooked. Cysticercosis symptoms vary depending on location of cysts but can include seizures, hydrocephal

1. CYSTICERCOSIS
OPTOM FASLU MUHAMMED

2.  Cysticercosis refers to tissue infection after
exposure to eggs of Taenia solium, the pork tape
worm.
 The disease is spread via the oral route through
contaminated food and water, and is primarily a
food born disease.
 After ingestion the eggs pass through the lumen of
the intestine into the tissue and migrate
preferentially to the brain and muscles.

3.  Cysticercosis should be differentiated from
taeniasis carriage of the adult tape worm in the
intestine (which is through ingestion of cysts in an
intermediate host, not the ingestion of the eggs as
in cysticercosis)
 These represents two different stages of the
parasite’s life cycle.

4.  Agent: Taenia solium (pork tape worm)
 The common larval stage of Taenia solium was
also known as cysticercus cellulosa

5. TRANSMISSON
 Humans are Taenia solium reservoirs.
 Eating under cooked pork that contain viable
cysticerci.
 Large no. of eggs which pass out in the feces
 The presence of an adult tape worm in the gut is
reasonably harmless.
 This condition is known as cysticercosis.

6. LIFE CYCLE
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8.  Two host life cycle
 Human beings are the only definitive host
 Both humans and pigs can act as intermediate host

9. BASICS OF INFECTION CYCLE
 Tapeworm larval cyst (cysticercus) is ingested with
poorly infected meat.
 Larva escapes the cyst and attaches to the mucosa
by the scolex.
 Feces are contaminated with eggs (persists for
several days in the environment) consumed by pigs
(eggs are hatched and form cysticerci)

10.  Humans also can be the intermediate host causing
cysticercosis if they ingest eggs.
 Two different forms in human:-
⚫ Human taeniasis
⚫ Human cysticercosis

11. Human taeniasis
 The scolex attaches to the mucosa and begins
forming segments (proglottis)
 After two months of infection, gravid proglotids
begin to detach from the distal end- excreted in the
feces.
 Each segment contains 60,000 eggs
 Worm causes only minor inflammation to the
intestine(mild symptoms- abdominal pain, diarrhoea
and naussea)

12. HUMAN CYSTICERCOSIS
 Internal auto infection is also possible
 The invasive oncoshere (embryos) the eggs are
liberated by the action of gastric acid and cross the
bowel wall
 They estalished at small terminal vessels (muscles,
brain, eye) where they grow about the size of 1cm
in 2-3 months.

13.  Muscles: small, palpable, movable nodules
 Chest and arms: mild or no symptoms
 Ophthalmic cysticercosis: intraocular cysts floating freely
in the vitreous humor, decreased visual acuity
 Neurocysticercosis: most symptoms are because of the
inflammatory reactions associated with cyst
degeneration (that may take years to happen)- epilepsy,
hydrocephalus, encephalitis, meningitis

14. CYSTICERCOSIS IN MUSCLE
 Cysticerci can develop in any voluntary muscle in
humans
 Invasion of muscle by cysticerci can cause
myositis, with fever, eosinophilia and muscular
pseudo hypertrophy