Common Name(s):

Pork Tapeworm Infection

Alternative Names & Classifications:

Cysticercosis (CLINICAL)

Description

Unlike intestinal Taeniasis, Cysticercosis occurs when humans accidentally ingest Taenia solium eggs directly via fecal-oral transmission, making the human an accidental intermediate host. The eggs hatch into invasive oncospheres that breach the intestinal wall and disseminate via the bloodstream. They lodge and form encysted larvae (cysticerci) in highly vascularized tissues, including skeletal muscle, eyes, and critically, the central nervous system.