The hidden threat of cysticercosis: A neglected public health problem

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