SkipdirectlytositecontentSkipdirectlytopageoptionsSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkParasites-CysticercosisSectionNavigationCDCHomeFacebookTwitterLinkedInSyndicateParasites-CysticercosisEspañol(Spanish)MinusRelatedPages CysticercosisisaparasitictissueinfectioncausedbylarvalcystsofthetapewormTaeniasolium.Theselarvalcystsinfectbrain,muscle,orothertissue,andareamajorcauseofadultonsetseizuresinmostlow-incomecountries.Apersongetscysticercosisbyswallowingeggsfoundinthefecesofapersonwhohasanintestinaltapeworm. Peoplelivinginthesamehouseholdwithsomeonewhohasatapewormhaveamuchhigherriskofgettingcysticercosisthanpeoplewhodon’t.Peopledonotgetcysticercosisbyeatingundercookedpork. Eatingundercookedporkcanresultinintestinaltapewormiftheporkcontainslarvalcysts. Pigsbecomeinfectedbyeatingtapewormeggsinthefecesofahumaninfectedwithatapeworm.Boththetapeworminfection,alsoknownastaeniasis,andcysticercosisoccurglobally.ThehighestratesofinfectionarefoundinareasofLatinAmerica,Asia,andAfricathathavepoorsanitationandfree-rangingpigsthathaveaccesstohumanfeces.Althoughuncommon,cysticercosiscanoccurinpeoplewhohavenevertraveledoutsideoftheUnitedStates.Forexample,apersoninfectedwithatapewormwhodoesnotwashhisorherhandsmightaccidentallycontaminatefoodwithtapewormeggswhilepreparingitforothers.Images:Left:Taeniaeggatahighmagnificationof400x.Whenconsumedbyhumans,Taeniasoliumeggscanleadtocysticercosis,includingaseriousconditionknownasneurocysticercosis.Center:Aradiographicimageofthebrainofapatientwhohasneurocysticercosis;thesmalldarkspotswithinthebrainarelarvalcystsofT.solium.Right:Across-sectionthroughaT.soliumcystfromahumanbraintissuespecimen,stainedwithhematoxylinandeosin(H&E).(Credit:WestchesterMedicalCenter,PHIL,DPDx)clipboardiconAboutCysticercosisMostcommonquestionsanswered...searchiconEpidemiology&RiskFactorsWhogetsitandhow...labiconBiologyStagesofparasiticdevelopment...medicaliconDiseaseSignsandsymptomsofthedisease...labiconDiagnosisTestsforinfection...labiconTreatmentMedicationandstepstotake...labiconPreve