QUESTION: I would like some information about a tapeworm disease that can be caught from improper cooking of meat from infected pigs.
This problem has recently affected a member of our family and we all need this explanation.
Is there any treatment available?
ANSWER: A complication of human infestation of T.
solim, the pork tapeworm, is cysticercosis.
Tapeworms are more common in this country than most people realize, and many people are not even aware of the deadly nature of cysticercosis.
If a person eats undercooked pork that has a larval form of the tapeworm in it, he or she is essentially swallowing an undeveloped circular form or "cyst" of the tapeworm, whose head is wrapped up way inside the cyst.
The human digestive process unravels or unsheathes the tapeworm head, which, when free and uncovered, attaches itself to the lining of the human intestine by means of hooks and suckers.
Segment by segment, the worm proliferates, sometimes becoming several feet long.
The new segments or eggs can detach and are then passed out in the stool.
If a person makes hand-to-mouth contact and by chance had previously contaminated his or her hand by contact with the feces, the tapeworm eggs are again ingested.
The hatched embryos migrate throughout the host, invading skeletal muscle, eye tissue or the central nervous system, and even the brain.
Usually, cysticercosis develops when the eggs rather than the larvae are swallowed. Epilepsy and severe headaches are some of the symptoms that appear after the cysts have invaded critical areas.
The liver, lung, peritoneum, and underlying skin tissues can also be greatly damaged.
Surgical removal of the cysts may be necessary.
Cysticercosis should always be considered when a person discovers a problem of tapeworms, because the diagnosis and treatment is difficult.
As treatment either niclosamide or praziquantal can be used. This kills the tapeworm, which is usually digested by the time it is passed. Stools should then be rechecked at 3 and 6 months to be sure that a cure has been achieved.
And just to keep the record straight, another common disease from uncooked or poorly cooked pork is trichinosis, where the culprit is a roundworm called T.
spiralis.
But that is a tale of another worm.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
