[Cysticercosis and hydatidosis do not always bring about detectable pathology in humans]

The clinical pictures produced in man by cysticercosis and hydatidosis are well known, not being infrequent the occurrence of fatal cases. Nevertheless, retrospective studies, carried out in autopsies, have permitted to demonstrate that only about one third on the cases of each of one of the quoted parasitoses, were caused by the corresponding etiologies. In this respect, in a study performed in Santiago, Chile between 1947 and 1984, which included the revision of 189,909 autopsy protocols, it was possible to verify that out of 116 neurocysticercosis cases 79 (68.1%) corresponded to autopsy findings, whereas out of 568 hydatidosis cases, 363 (63.9%) were autopsy findings, without a previous clinical history suggesting the respective parasitosis and not depending of the location of the parasite.