Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) symptoms Lifecycle of taenia solium Taenia solium treatment How do you prevent pork tapeworm infection? Pork tapeworm research project in Uganda
Taenia solium infection, commonly known as the pork tapeworm, is a parasitic infection found across Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. It is closely linked to unsafe sanitation, where the environment is contaminated with T. solium eggs, allowing constant exposure to free-ranging pigs.
The parasite causes neurocysticercosis (NCC), a serious condition that develops when tapeworm larvae lodge in the brain and nervous system. NCC is recognised as the leading preventable cause of epilepsy in low‑ and middle‑income countries.
It is estimated that NCC accounts for approximately one third of epilepsy cases in countries where T. solium is endemic.
Beyond its impact on human health, pork tapeworm infection also places a heavy economic burden on smallholder pig farmers. Infection in pigs (porcine cysticercosis) reduces the value of pork, and infected carcasses are often discarded.
Studies in Sub-Saharan Africa have shown considerable economic impact:
Symptoms mainly arise from NCC and can include:
The severity of illness varies widely. Symptoms depend on the number, size, and location of cysts in the nervous system, as well as how strongly the person’s immune system responds to the infection.
Treatment depends on how the infection presents:
The lifecycle of Taenia solium is complex and involves both humans and pigs.
Opposite: Schematic representation of the transmission cycle of Taenia solium, illustrating a One Health approach. The human (blue), animal (orange), and environment (green) components are represented by inter-locking sections that intersect and form a whole entity whose parts cannot be tackled in isolation. The purple boxes indicate the parasite stages responsible for the main human health burden and economic impact of the disease. The grey boxes highlight the points in the parasite’s lifecycle upon which currently available intervention strategies operate: dark grey boxes indicate biomedical approaches (treatment, vaccination); light grey boxes indicate behaviour- and environment-focussed interventions. Modified from Dixon et al. (2019), and published in Dixon et al. (2021).
Preventing Taenia solium infection requires coordinated action across health, veterinary, and environmental systems.
For people:
For pigs:
We support integrated, evidence‑based approaches to tackling Taenia solium, grounded in a One Health perspective — recognising that human health, animal health, and healthy environments are inseparable.
In 2021, we partnered with Bayer AG and Merck on a research project examining the impact of large-scale praziquantel distribution of the drug praziquantel (PZQ) on T. solium in Uganda. Alongside this work, we continue to advocate for holistic strategies that combine treatment, prevention, and system strengthening to reduce the burden of this neglected disease.
We are currently working with research groups and national governments to conduct literature reviews and risk mapping to understand high-risk areas and baseline cysticercosis levels. In 2023, we published a national mapping study in Uganda, and in 2026, a similar study for Malawi.
Recently, we have been awarded a large Applied Global Health Research grant through the UK Medical Research Council and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, totalling £2.13 million, to research sustainable control of T. solium in northern Uganda, through a randomised controlled trial. The SUSTAIN projects runs from 2025 to 2030.
The SUSTAIN Uganda project is tackling pork tapeworm by developing sustainable strategies to control Taenia solium infection in both humans and pigs.
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