Rare Case of Disseminated Cysticercosis and Taeniasis in a Japanese Traveler after Returning from India

Abstract

Abstract. We report disseminated cysticercosis concurrent with taeniasis in a 31-year-old male Japanese, who had visited India three times and stayed for 1 month each time during the previous 1 year. The patient presented increasing numbers of subcutaneous nodules and expelled proglottids, although numerous cysts were also found in the brain in imaging findings, though no neurological symptoms were observed. Histopathological and serological findings strongly indicated cysticercosis. We found taeniid eggs in his stool by microscopic examination and revealed them as the Indian haplotype of Taenia solium by mitochondrial DNA analysis. We concluded that disseminated cysticercosis was caused by the secondary autoinfection with eggs released from the tapeworm carrier himself. After confirming the absence of adult worms in the intestine by copro-polymerase chain reaction, the patient was successfully treated with albendazole at a dose of 15 mg/kg/day for 28 days. Subcutaneous and intracranial lesions had completely disappeared by the end of the treatment period.

Recent advances and perspectives in molecular epidemiology of Taenia solium cysticercosis

“…In conclusion, there is almost no data showing the real distribution of T. solium and epidemics of NCC without any accidental detection of symptomatic NCC cases in the world including developed countries (Margono et al, , 2005Yamasaki et al, 2005;Yanagida et al, 2012;Kobayashi et al, 2013).…”

“…1 and 2). Disseminated cysticercosis cases are caused mainly in tapeworm carriers themselves by autoinfection even if detection of tapeworm(s) is not always easy (Schantz et al, 1983Margono et al, 2002;Kobayashi et al, 2013;. The only definitive host of T. solium is human, Homo sapiens (de Queiroz and Alkire, 1998;Hoberg et al, 1999Hoberg et al, , 2001Hoberg, 2002Hoberg, , 2006Michelet and Dauga, 2012;Zarlenga et al, 2014a,b).…”

“…One is taeniasis after eating contaminated pork. This group is at high risk of disseminated cysticercosis due to autoinfection (Margono et al, 2002;Kobayashi et al, 2013). The other is cysticercosis accidentally caused by contamination with eggs released from tapeworm carriers everywhere either pork is eaten or not (Schantz et al, 1992;Ikejima et al, 2005).…”

“…These are populations with risk of taeniasis. Then, such taeniasis carriers themselves become autoinfected with eggs (Schantz et al, 1983Margono et al, 2002;Kobayashi et al, 2013) and simultaneously contaminate others who have intimate contact with the carriers themselves etc. (Schantz et al, 1992;Allan et al, 1996;Ikejima et al, 2005).…”

Neurocysticercosis Diagnosed in a Patient with Taenia saginata Taeniasis after Administration of Praziquantel: A Case Study and Review of the Literature

“…The potential for a tapeworm carrier to infect another individual (or themselves via autoinfection), resulting in cysticercosis or neurocysticercosis (NCC), is a risk not only in endemic areas, but also in areas with immigrants from endemic countries [1,[3][4][5]. An example of such an outbreak occurred in an Orthodox Jewish community in New York City when family members were infected by a domestic employee from a T. solium endemic country [6].…”