Seizure-Causing Tapeworm Infections Increase in Southwestern States and Mexico
According to researchers at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine, up to ten percent of the whole Mexican population may have a tapeworm infection, known as neurocysticercosis. Tapeworm infections are increasing in the southwestern area of the United States, especially the states which border Mexico.
Neurocysticercosis is caused by a tapeworm called Taenia solium, which is found in pigs. A person may get infected by eating undercooked pork, drinking contaminated water or putting contaminated fingers in the mouth. An infected person will then excrete tapeworm eggs, and contamination will spread through food, water or contaminated surfaces.
This infection is a serious health concern, especially in poor areas where pigs are allowed to roam freely and eat human feces.
Many people with tapeworm infections do not show any symptoms. However, the signs and symptoms include nausea, weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss. When an infection becomes invasive, as in it migrates out of the intestines and forms cysts in other parts of the body, symptoms become more severe. Symptoms of an invasive infection include seizures, fever, cystic masses or lumps, allergic reactions (to larvae), and other bacterial infections.
Medications for an intestinal tapeworm include oral medications. However, these drugs only target the tapeworm, not its eggs. Therefore it is extremely important to keep good hygiene habits, especially washing hands after using the toilet and before eating. Treatment differs for infections that become invasive. Although treatment depends on the location and severity of the infection, invasive infection treatments typically include anthelmintic drugs, anti-inflammatories, anti-epileptic therapy, shunt placement and surgery.
