The hidden threat of cysticercosis: A neglected public health problem

The parasitic infection known as cysticercosis is brought on by the larvae of the Taenia solium (pork tapeworm). The disease cysticercosis is spread by food. Humans can serve as both definitive and intermediate hosts, whereas pigs serve as intermediate hosts. This illness is among the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that affect the public health of those from low-income backgrounds. Cysticercosis is endemic in Africa, China, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. When humans consume pork that has been contaminated and cooked incorrectly, the cysticerci enter the small intestine, where they are evaginated by digestive enzymes and stick to the intestinal wall. Cysticerci can reside in host tissues in both humans and pigs without causing illness or inflammation. Cysts are most frequently found in the cerebral hemispheres, particularly where the gray and white matter meet. Cysticerci typically build their nests in the muscles and subcutaneous fat of pigs. This parasite typically causes neurocysticercosis, a pleiomorphic clinical condition, in humans by infecting the central nervous system. Neuroimaging, serological tests, and a thorough clinical examination are good ways to diagnose cysticercosis. An infection with T. solium tapeworm is transmitted by eating raw or undercooked pork that has been infected. Individuals who have pork tapeworms in their intestinal lumen, pig keeping, poverty, and cultural factors are the main causes of this disease. It is possible to treat human tapeworm infections using niclosamide. Cysticercosis has been eliminated in more developed nations through better sanitation and restrictions on domestic pig husbandry.