Neurocysticercosis
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a neurologic infection caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium. In the developing world, NCC, infection of the central nervous system (CNS) with the T. solium larvae, is the most common cause of acquired epilepsy [1–3]. Infections are generally treated with anti-parasitic drugs in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs. Surgery is sometimes necessary to treat cysts in certain locations, when patients are not responsive to drug treatment, or to reduce brain swelling. Not all cases of cysticercosisneed treatment.The diagnosis of neurocysticercosis usually requires MRI or CT brain scans. Blood tests may be useful to help diagnose an infection, but they may not always be positive in light infections. If you have been diagnosed with cysticercosis, you and your family members should be tested for intestinal tapeworm infection.Neurocysticercosis is a preventable parasitic infection caused by larval cysts (enclosed sacs containing the immature stage of a parasite) of the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium).Neurocysticercosis, which affects the brain and is the most severe form of the disease, can be fatal.Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia solium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue, and are a major cause of adult onset seizures in most low-income countries.Symptomatic therapy is the mainstay of treatmentfor neurocysticercosis, as follows: Anticonvulsants are prescribed to patients with seizures. Specific anthelminthic therapy with albendazole or praziquantel is prescribed, usually accompanied by corticosteroids.
Dr Howard... Will you please help me? Is this a photo of a brain? What’s throwing me off is the lower aspect of this opening, where the ‘fork like’ structures are, it’s yellow and does not appear to be ‘scalp’ tissue. This is a horrible infection and I’ve had a horrible experience with a tapeworm infection in a champion Quarter Horse mare I owned. She had wine over $72K, and I lost her after 4 weeks at Texas A@M Veterinary hospital...I never left her. To this day, I have to fight back tears as I bred, raised and trained her. A@M called a physician in New Mexico, where Praziquantel is utilized in human treatment, to help with the dosage to give a horse. My husband and I had spent $$$K taking her to Vets, she’d get better, then she’d get sick again. Finally, I called a Vet friend and he said to get her down to A&M...he called and she was surrounded by some of the greatest minds in veterinary medicine. They took films of her lungs and they, honestly, looked like tertiary lung cancer!
That was my studying subject in parasitology of CNS last week
You chose an excellent study... It’s such a horrible disease and a terrible way to die!
I was writing to a surgeon and thought I was sending it to him on Instagram...I’m so sorry
I kinda wanna squish it to see how much pressure is needed to pop it