Prevalence and risk factors for Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis in humans and pigs in a village in Morelos, Mexico

Abstract

In a Mexican village in which Taenia solium infection was known to be endemic, we selected a cluster sample of 368 households (21% of the total) for demographic, environmental, and diagnostic surveys, and medical histories for taeniasis and cysticercosis. Coproparasitologic studies of 1,531 participants revealed infection by Taenia sp. in four (0.3%) individuals; however, 5.8% of the respondents reported a history of having passed tapeworm proglottids in feces. Of 1,552 human serum specimens, 10.8% tested positive in the cysticercosis immunoblot assay. Seropositivity increased with age and reached a maximum in subjects ages 46-55 years. Risk factors associated with seropositivity included a history of passing tapeworm proglottids, frequent consumption of pork, and poor personal and household hygiene (P less than 0.05). A history of seizures was also significantly associated with seropositivity (P less than 0.05); approximately one-third of persons with such histories were seropositive. Of 571 pigs examined by tongue inspection, 23 (4.0%) had cysticerci; infection rates increased with the age of pigs, and were higher in pigs that habitually ran loose or were fed human feces (P less than 0.05). Goodness of fit analysis confirmed that seropositive persons (but not infected pigs) were significantly clustered within households, particularly, in households in which a member reported a history of having passed tapeworm proglottids. The results of this study have identified community behavioral and environmental practices that must be modified to prevent continued transmission of cysticercosis and taeniasis.