cysticercosis /sis′tisərkō″sis/ [Gk, kystis + kerkos, tail, osis, condition] , an infection and infestation by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium or the beef tapeworm T. saginata. ▪ OBSERVATIONS: The invasive, early phase of the infection is characterized by fever, malaise, muscle pain, and eosinophilia. ▪ INTERVENTIONS: Prophylaxis depends on eating only thoroughly cooked pork or beef. The antiparasitic drugs praziquantel or albendazole may be used to treat this infection on a case-by-case basis. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the larvae, or cysticerci. ▪ PATIENT CARE CONSIDERATIONS: The eggs are ingested and hatch in the intestine; the larvae invade the subcutaneous tissue, brain, eye, muscle, heart, liver, lung, and peritoneum. They attach themselves with two rows of hooklets, grow, mature, and become covered with a dense, fibrous capsule. Years later, seizures and personality change may appear if the brain is affected, and calcification and destruction of local structures are apparent in other infested areas of the body.
