Mini review on chemotherapy of taeniasis and cysticercosis due to Taenia solium in Asia, and a case report with 20 tapeworms in China

摘要

A 43-year-old Tibetan woman living in northwest Sichuan, China, confirmed to bea taeniasis carrier of Taenia solium was treated with pumpkin seeds combined with Arecanut extract in October 2009. All 20 tapeworms except one without scolex were expelledunder good conditions. She was free of secondary cysticercosis within one year follow up.Although the first choice for treatment of taeniasis is still praziquantel, it may often causeserious side effect on asymptomatic cysticercosis cases to suddenly become symptomaticwithin a half day of the treatment. Therefore, the problems in treatment of taeniasis and/orcysticercosis in Asia are briefly overviewed, since other platyhelminthic diseases includingschistosomiasis, opisthorchiasis etc. are more common and praziquantel is stronglyrecommended for mass treatment of these trematodiases with no idea on the co-infectionwith eggs of T. solium which cause asymptomatic cysticercosis.