In severe cases, tapeworm infection leads to abnormal nervous system function, seizures and damage to the heart, the University of Maryland Medical Center warns. Tapeworms are parasites that usually stay within your intestines, but sometimes infest other organs. Eating raw pork that is infected with tapeworms increases your risk of developing a potentially life-threatening infection.
Taenia Solium
Taenia solium is the main type of tapeworm found most often in pork, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. In a pig, the parasite exists as an immature form and does not enter maturity until it enters your digestive tract. Once inside your intestines, adult pork tapeworms can grow to up to 12 feet long and survive for years. Each adult tapeworm is composed of many different segments, and each segment is capable of producing eggs. Eggs and dead segments are passed in the stool. Examining a patient's stool is often the best way to diagnose a tapeworm infection.
Raw Pork and Tapeworms
Eating raw pork does not always mean you will get a tapeworm infection. Infection occurs only if you eat raw pork that has previously been infected with Taenia solium, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The larvae or eggs of the parasite can exist for years within the meat of an infected pig and easily enter the human body once ingested. The parasites attach to your intestines and siphon nutrients away from your body.
Cooking Pork
Avoiding pork tapeworm infection requires you to properly handle, store and cook any pork you plan to eat. The first step is using hygienic techniques when handling pork. Always wash your hands with water and soap before and after touching raw pork. Also wash cutting boards, plates, dishes and utensils with hot water after preparing any raw meat, including pork. Storing pork requires you to use a refrigerator and freezer. Your refrigerator should register at 40° F and your freezer should be at 0° F, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports. At these temperatures, pork tapeworm larvae and eggs are destroyed and there is no risk of further infection to the meat. The final step in preparing pork is cooking it. You should cook all pork products until the internal temperature is 160° F. If you desire your meat well done, then the internal temperature should reach at least 170° F.
Treatment
Treatment for a pork tapeworm infection depends on whether the tapeworm is only in the intestine or if the parasite has spread to other organs. An infection strictly limited to your intestine is treated with praziquantel, an anti-parasitic medication, according to the University of Wisconsin. In some cases, a pork tapeworm may travel to your eyes and other muscles. This condition is called cysticercosis. The parasite turns into a cyst, which can become painful. In some cases, surgical removal of the cyst is necessary. Praziquantel or other medications are also used to battle this type of infection. In rare instances, the tapeworm is able to reach the brain and form cysts. When this happens you develop neurocysticercosis. Treatment includes surgical removal, the use of the anti-tapeworm medication albendazole, and steroids.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Taeniasis
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Taeniasis; David C. Dugdale, III, MD; August 2009
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Safe Eats -- Meat, Poultry and Seafood; June 2011
- University of Wisconsin; Taenia Solium: Treatment of Cysticercosis and Taeniasis; 2006
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