How to Diagnose Cysticercosis

Cysticercosis is a disease caused by larval cysts, usually from the tapeworm Taenia solium. It is usually transmitted by ingesting food or water contaminated with Taenia solium eggs. Digestion dissolves the outer coat of the eggs which liberates the oncospheres. They cross the intestinal wall and invade the bloodstream where they migrate to different parts of the body. The following steps will show how to diagnose cysticercosis.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Observe recent onset seizures along with cognitive impairment, confusion, stupor and increases in intracranial pressure. Seizures occur in 70 percent of cysticercosis cases and usually become generalized. Cysts can frequently be palpated under the skin and ocular cysts also may be present.

2. Check the patient history for recent travel to an area where Taenia solium is endemic. This includes Africa, Asia, Mexico, Central and South America, Spain and Portugal. Patients from other areas may receive Taenia solium from an infected cohabitant.

3. Confirm a diagnosis of cysticercosis by detecting antibodies for Taenia solium. An enzyme immunitransfer blot assay of the blood serum is more than 90 percent sensitive.

4. Use the complement fixation (CF) test to detect antibodies for Taenia solium in cerebrospinal fluid. This test is also highly sensitive and should be performed with the immunitransfer blot assay for increased accuracy.

5. Run a Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan to diagnose neurocysticercosis. An MRI scan is more sensitive in depicting the cysts, but the CT can reveal hydrocephalus, which can indicate intraventricular cysts.

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