Taenia Solium and Neurocysticercosis

The pork tapeworm Taenia solium infects pigs and humans primarily in underdeveloped regions worldwide. The mouth with its two rows of hooks is pictured at right.

Humans act as hosts after eating infected meat with adult tapeworms developing in the intestines and excreting eggs through the feces.

Human-to-human transmission occurs by ingesting T. solium eggs shed in the feces of a human T. solium tapeworm carrier. Therefore, parasite infections can occur in groups that neither eat pork nor share environments with pigs.

T. solium in the larval form also migrates to the central nervous system producing the common parasitic infection known as neurocysticercosis. Neurocysticercosis produces major psychological problems with symptoms such as seizures, short-attention span, confusion, loss of balance and brain swelling. Giant cysts in the brain can develop. Neurocysticercosis causes epilepsy and may result in death.

Be aware that neurocysticercosis has been identified as a growing health problem in the U.S. due to the flood of travelers into the states bordering Mexico.

A separate report in this month's issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases found that nearly 60 percent of the 221 U.S. deaths from cysticercosis between 1990 and 2002 involved California residents.

"Most patients [187, or 85 percent] were foreign-born, and 137 [62 percent] had emigrated from Mexico. The 33 U.S.-born persons who died of cysticercosis represented 15 percent of all cysticercosis-related deaths" during the study period, said University of California researchers who wrote the latest report.

Although neurocysticercosis is "especially" a problem in the Southwest, it has also surfaced in other places, such as New York, Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C., data from other studies show.

In summary, nasty parasites are being mainlined into the U.S. across the imaginary southern border with the flood of illegal aliens coming to do the jobs Americans won't do, one of which is to indiscriminately infect other people.

Treatment with drugs helps and infections can be prevented by thoroughly cooking pork and assuring food workers always wash their hands.

Tip: John Ray