Cysticercosis

[Omar O. Barriga]

In article <Pine.OSF.3.93.970206160319.26202C-100000 at lionfish.jcu.edu.au> Richard.Speare at jcu.edu.au (Richard Speare) writes:
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>From: Richard.Speare at jcu.edu.au (Richard Speare)
>Newsgroups: bionet.parasitology
>Subject: Re: Cysticercosis
>Date: 5 Feb 1997 22:04:04 -0800
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><Anybody has seen cysticercosis in a person who has, since birth, been a
><strict vegetarian? Has oral-fecal transmission of cysticercosis been
><reported? Saw one case last month.
><Would appreciate input. 
><Thanks.
><LRVives at msn.com

>Cysticercosis is due to ingestion of eggs of _Taenia solium_ by a person.
>The eggs come from the faeces of a person infected with the mature
>tapeworm, but the person who ingests the eggs acts like an intermediate
>host.  The eggs hatch in the small intestine, enter the bloodstream and
>form cysts in many organs.  People only acquire the adult tapeworm by
>eating cysticerci in pig muscle. So cysticercosis does not require the
>person to eat pork since transmission is faecal- oral.  Consequently,
>vegetarians are liable to develop cycticercosis, but if they eat no pork
>they will not acquire adult _T. solium_ in their intestines. 

>Some interesting studies on cysticercosis have been done on orthodox Jews
>who eat no pork.  From the tapeworm's point of view an orthodox Jew and a
>vegetarian are the same.  If you would like a reference to these studies,
>I can supply a recent one when I return to my home base. 

>Regards

>Rick Speare

>Department of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
>James Cook University
>Townsville
>AUSTRALIA

>Phone:  -61-(0)77-225700
>Fax:    -61-(0)77-225788
>email:  Richard.Speare at jcu.edu.au


To put the same in a nutshell:

	Cysticercosis is transmitted by fecal contamination,

	Taeniasis is transmitted by infested meats

	Being a vegetarian can influence the individual risk of acquiring
taeniasis but hardly cysticercosis (although I would expect  that taeniasis,
the remote origin of fecal contamination, is less prevalent in vegetarian
communities).

	Cheers!

			Omar O. Barriga