Abstract. The prevalence and characteristics of human taeniasis/cysticercosis and porcine cysticercosis were assessed in an endemic area of the Peruvian highlands. Individuals from 10 communities had stool examinations (N ‫ס‬ 2,951) and serologic testing for Taenia solium antibodies (N ‫ס‬ 2,583). The total porcine population present (N ‫ס‬ 703) was also examined by serology. Cysticercosis is hyperendemic in this area and is associated with an important number of seizure cases. Human seroprevalence by village ranged from 7.1-26.9% (mean, 13.9%). Seroprevalence was higher among individuals with a history of seizures but not in those reporting a history of headache or intestinal taeniasis. Prevalence of taeniasis ranged from 0-6.7% (median, 2.5%). Coproantigen detection found 2.4 times more taeniasis cases than did microscopy (direct and after concentration). Age distribution for taeniasis showed a peak at younger ages than for seroprevalence. Porcine seroprevalence ranged from 42-75%. Random effects logistic regression models for human seropositivity demonstrated both in-house clustering of cases and a large increase in risk associated with a tapeworm carrier in the house. Besides confirming the close relationship between taeniasis and cysticercosis cases, this large-scale field study demonstrated early age of tapeworm and cysticercosis infections in humans, and short duration of taeniasis infections.

No abstract

Abstract. Human Taenia solium cysticercosis is a major cause of epilepsy in developing countries, and porcine infection causes widespread economic losses because of infested pork. Recently, the use of oxfendazole (OFZ) for porcine cysticercosis provided, for the first time, an effective, single-dose treatment. We performed a controlled study to determine the time required between treatment with a single dose of OFZ and the death of cysticerci to define its applicability as preslaughter treatment or as a field control measure. Twenty naturally infected pigs were included in this study. Sixteen received a single dose (30 mg/kg) of OFZ, and were killed in groups of four at one, two, four, and 12 weeks after treatment. Four untreated controls were killed at week 12. No adverse reactions to OFZ were noted. A clear decrease in viability and number of cysts was evident after the first week after therapy, but even at week 4 some viable cysticerci were found in all samples. Twelve weeks after treatment, all meat appeared clear and only minuscule scars remained, except in one animal that had viable brain cysts. This study confirms the efficacy of a single dose of 30 mg/kg of OFZ for porcine cysticercosis but demonstrates that preslaughter treatment of pigs with OFZ will not be useful in controlling cysticercosis. The inclusion of porcine treatment with OFZ in mass cysticercosis control programs is, however, highly promising because it is a simple, effective, inexpensive, and potentially sustainable method for decreasing the porcine reservoir of cysticercosis in disease-endemic countries.

Taenia solium cysticercosis is an important public health problem in developing countries. Oxfendazole has been shown to be highly effective against porcine cysticercosis, when given as a single dose at 30 mg/kg bodyweight. This dose, however, was estimated from experience with albendazole. A controlled dose-response trial was therefore undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of three concentrations of oxfendazole. Twenty-four naturally parasitised pigs were divided into four groups and treated with oxfendazole at 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg, or left untreated. Eight to 10 weeks later the pigs were killed and the viability of the parasites assessed by evagination. No side-effects of oxfendazole treatment were observed. In the control group more than 90 per cent of the cysts were viable. Viable cysts were found in the muscle and brain of the pigs treated with 10 or 20 mg/kg oxfendazole. At 30 mg/kg there were no viable cysts in any of the tissues examined, indicating that this concentration of oxfendazole provided an effective treatment against porcine cysticercosis.

Abstract. Cysticercosis, the infection by the larvae of Taenia solium, is a major cause of acquired epilepsy in the world; it also causes significant economic loss because of contaminated pork. This disease is endemic in most developing countries and no control strategy has yet been proven efficient and sustainable. To further evaluate the full potential of single-dose oxfendazole treatment for pigs as a control measure, 20 pigs with cysticercosis were treated with oxfendazole and later matched with 41 naive pigs and exposed to a natural challenge in a hyperendemic area. New infections were found by serologic testing in 15 of the 32 controls (47%), and by the presence of cysts at necropsy in 12 of them (37%). Only minute residual scars were detected in the carcasses of oxfendazole-treated pigs. Pigs with cysticercosis, once treated with oxfendazole, are protected from new infections for at least three months.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract