Which tapeworm is acquired from undercooked pork and can cause cysticercosis with CNS lesions and seizures?

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Prepare for the NBME Microbiology Test. Study with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each query comes with hints and detailed explanations. Ace your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which tapeworm is acquired from undercooked pork and can cause cysticercosis with CNS lesions and seizures?

Explanation:
Taenia solium is the pork tapeworm responsible here. Eating undercooked pork lets the parasite establish an adult tapeworm in the intestine, causing taeniasis. Cysticercosis, including lesions in the brain and seizures, occurs when people ingest the eggs of Taenia solium—usually from fecal contamination—which hatch and form cysticerci in tissues such as the central nervous system. The brain cysts provoke seizures and other neurologic symptoms. In contrast, the beef tapeworm Taenia saginata rarely causes cysticercosis, and Echinococcus granulosus and Diphyllobothrium latum cause different diseases.

Taenia solium is the pork tapeworm responsible here. Eating undercooked pork lets the parasite establish an adult tapeworm in the intestine, causing taeniasis. Cysticercosis, including lesions in the brain and seizures, occurs when people ingest the eggs of Taenia solium—usually from fecal contamination—which hatch and form cysticerci in tissues such as the central nervous system. The brain cysts provoke seizures and other neurologic symptoms. In contrast, the beef tapeworm Taenia saginata rarely causes cysticercosis, and Echinococcus granulosus and Diphyllobothrium latum cause different diseases.

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