$Unique_ID{BRK01296}
$Pretitle{Infections or Parasites, Digestive System}
$Title{Is There Any Treatment Available for Tapeworm Disease?}
$Subject{tapeworm pork}
$Volume{A-26, I-26}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Is There Any Treatment Available for Tapeworm Disease?


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QUESTION:  I would like some information about a tapeworm disease that can be
caught from improper cooking of meat from infected pigs.  This problem has
recently affected a member of our family and we all need this explanation.  Is
there any treatment available?

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ANSWER:  A complication of human infestation of T. solim, the pork tapeworm,
is cysticercosis.  Tapeworms are more common in this country than most people
realize and many people are not even aware of the deadly nature of
cysticercosis.  If a person eats undercooked pork that has a larval form of
the tapeworm in it, he or she is essentially swallowing an undeveloped
circular form or "cyst" of the tapeworm, whose head is wrapped up way inside
the cyst.  The human digestive process unravels or unsheathes the tapeworm
head, which, when free and uncovered, attaches itself to the lining of the
human intestine by means of hooks and suckers.  Segment by segment, the worm
proliferates, sometimes becoming several feet long.  The new segments or eggs
can detach and are then passed out in the stool.  If a person makes
hand-to-mouth contact and by chance had previously contaminated his or her
hand by contact with the feces, the tapeworm eggs are again ingested.  The
hatched embryos migrate throughout the host, invading skeletal muscle, eye
tissue or the central nervous system and even the brain.  Usually,
cysticercosis develops when the eggs rather than the larvae are swallowed.
Epilepsy and severe headaches are some of the symptoms that appear after the
cysts have invaded critical areas.  The liver, lung, peritoneum, and
underlying skin tissues can also be greatly damaged.  Surgical removal of the
cysts may be necessary.  Cysticercosis should always be considered when a
person discovers a problem of tapeworms because the diagnosis and treatment is
difficult.  As treatment either niclosamide or praziquantal, can be used.
This kills the tapeworm, which is usually digested by the time it is passed.
Stools should then be rechecked at 3 and 6 months to be sure that a cure has
been achieved.  And just to keep the record straight, another common disease
from uncooked, or poorly cooked pork is trichinosis where the culprit is a
roundworm called T. spiralis.  But that is a tale of another worm.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
