What is cysticercus larva?
Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia solium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue, and are a major cause of adult onset seizures in most low-income countries.
What is the life cycle of cysticercosis?
When humans ingest improperly cooked pork infected with cysticerci, larvae evaginate and adhere to the intestinal mucosa. Then, the rudimentary body begins to grow – forming proglottids – and the life cycle is completed when proglottids become gravid and are passed with human feces.
What are the symptoms of Taenia solium?
solium (usually 3 m). Tapeworms can cause digestive problems including abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and upset stomach. The most visible symptom of taeniasis is the active passing of proglottids (tapeworm segments) through the anus and in the feces.
What is the difference between Cysticercoid and Cysticercus?
A cysticercoid is the larval stage of certain tapeworms, similar in appearance to a cysticercus, but having the scolex filling completely the enclosing cyst. In tapeworm infections, cysticercoids can be seen in free form as well as enclosed by cysts in biological tissues such as the intestinal mucosa.
What are the symptoms of a parasite in the brain?
Neurocysticercosis (cysts in the brain, spinal cord): Seizures and headaches are the most common symptoms. However, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, difficulty with balance, excess fluid around the brain (called hydrocephalus) may also occur. The disease can result in death.
How is cysticercosis developed?
It is important to note that human cysticercosis is acquired by ingesting T. solium eggs shed in the feces of a human T. solium tapeworm carrier (e.g. on contaminated food items), and thus can still occur in populations that neither eat pork nor share environments with pigs, as long as the human carrier is present.
What does Taenia saginata look like?
saginata has a strong resemblance to the other human tapeworms, such as Taenia asiatica and Taenia solium, in structure and biology, except for few details. It is typically larger and longer, with more proglottids, more testes, and higher branching of the uteri. It also lacks an armed scolex unlike other Taenia.
How do you test for Taenia solium?
Diagnosis of Taenia tapeworm infections is made by examination of stool samples; individuals should also be asked if they have passed tapeworm segments. Stool specimens should be collected on three different days and examined in the lab for Taenia eggs using a microscope.
What is plerocercoid larva?
Plerocercoid refers to last larval form, the infective form, found in the second intermediate host of many Cestoda with aquatic life cycles.