Are there any other parasitic disease emergencies? Yes. Another is cysticercosis cutis, which is a cestoidal infection due to the larval form of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium. Typically, Taenia eggs enter the stomach from the intestine via reverse peristalsis, and they develop into oncospheres that penetrate the stomach wall and enter the circulation. They become lodged in internal organs, such as the heart, brain, muscles, lungs, and eye. They also move to the subcutaneous tissues and develop into cysts that contain cysticercus larvae. They are usually numerous and can become calcified as evidenced by x-ray. With the presentation of multiple subcutaneous cysts in a patient with unexplained neurologic signs or symptoms, one must keep this diagnosis in mind. Miura H, Itoh Y, Kozuka T: A case of subcutaneous cysticercosis (cysticercus cellulosae cutis), J Am Acad Dermatol 43:538–540, 2000. |
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