Taeniasis-cysticercosis: an introduction.

Cysticercosis is caused by the establishment of Taenia solium larvae in the central nervous system, skeletal muscle and eyes of humans and pigs, after ingestion of eggs shed in human feces by the adult tapeworm. Human cysticercosis is increasingly recognized as a public health problem, especially in developing countries, and swine cysticercosis may be an important economic drain to the meat industry. The adult tapeworm is found only in human beings. Recent epidemiological data indicate that the presence of a tapeworm carrier in the close environment is a greater risk factor for acquiring cysticercosis than the spread of eggs through sewage.