Brain Tapeworms Infection "Serious Health Concern"

Brain Tapeworms Life Cycle (CDC)

Brain tapeworms infections appear to be increasing in Mexico and bordering southwestern states, according to a group of Loyola University Health System researchers.

The researchers said that up to 10 percent of the population of Mexico may have brain tapeworms.

Brain tapeworms, or  Neurocysticercosis, are parasitic diseases of  the nervous system and are caused by tapeworms found in pigs called Taenia solium. A person can get infected with the parasite by eating undercooked pork. That person then can excrete tapeworm eggs. The contamination spreads through food, water or surfaces contaminated with feces. A person can become infected, for example, by drinking contaminated water or putting contaminated fingers in the mouth.

Once inside the stomach, the tapeworm egg hatches, travels through the bloodstream and ends up in the muscles, brain or eyes. The worm, which can grow to more than one-half inch long, becomes enveloped in a fluid-filled cyst. Cysts in the muscles generally don't cause symptoms. But cysts in the eyes can cause blurry vision, while cysts in the brain can cause headaches, encephalitis and seizures. Less common symptoms include confusion and difficulty with balance.

Seizures occur in up to 70 percent of patients. "They're pretty dramatic," said Dr. Jaime Belmares, assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "Every seizure needs to be properly evaluated."

While many people never develop symptoms, neurocysticercosis nevertheless "remains a serious health concern, especially among the poor," Loyola researchers wrote in the April issue of the journal Neurological Research.

Their article, "Management of Neurocysticercosis," is among several articles in the April issue of Neurological Research that describe neurological infections in Latin America.