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KEY FACTORS: CYSTICERCOSIS

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Cysticercosis

 

  • Cysticercosis is a very serious parasitic worm infection that results in seizures and other long-term neurological manifestations due to cyst formation in the muscles and brain.

  • It results from transmission from person to person of the eggs of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium.

  • In some cases, multiple cysts can cause more extensive disease such as encephalitis, while cysts at the base of the brain can cause obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, leading to a condition known as hydrocephalus. The diagnosis of cysticercosis in the brain is sometimes known as neurocysticercosis.

  • Today, an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 new cases of neurocysticercosis are diagnosed annually, making it one of the leading causes of epilepsy in the United States.

(“Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases”, by Peter J Hotez)

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