Cysticercosis

Cysticercosis is a disease caused by the larvae of Taenia Solium, popularly known as solitary. It is acquired by ingesting food or water contaminated with the eggs of the worm. The only definitive host of Taenia is the human being. In the intestine of the worm eggs are transformed into larvae, being able to take off to various parts of the body such as muscles, brain, lungs, eyes and heart. It can cause seizures, mental disorders, blindness.

T. solium has the elongated body, thin and flat and can be divided into: head or scolex, neck and strobili or proglottids.

The taenia settles in the small intestine after three months of infection where it starts to drop rings with eggs. Each ring has 40-80 thousand eggs. The rings are eliminated with the faeces or broken in the intestine, where they can remain alive for up to 300 days depending on the organism.

The intermediate hosts are pigs, rabbits, hares, cats, dogs, sheep and cattle.
Treatment
The treatment varies with the cysticerci location, time of infection and condition of the patient.
Prevention
Do not defecate outdoors, wash your hands often, especially before eating and after using the toilet, do not use human faeces or sewage as fertilizer, no watering garden with river water, thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before eating them; drink water only if it is treated and medical monitoring of patients with cysticercosis and taeniasis are the main ways to avoid contagion and other people in the short and long term.