Eating undercooked pork, seizures, headaches, mental status change, hydrocephalus.

Eating undercooked pork, seizures, headaches, mental status change, hydrocephalus.

• A. Trichinella spiralis
• B. Taenia saginata
• C. Ascaris lumbricoides
• D. Cysticercosis tapeworm

Answer: (D)

Neurocysticercosis from Taenia solium matches the combination of seizures, headaches, mental status changes, and hydrocephalus. When the brain is invaded by cysticerci, these cysts can obstruct CSF pathways or trigger inflammatory reactions as they degenerate, leading to intracranial hypertension and seizures—the hallmark signs here. The clue about eating undercooked pork points toward Taenia solium exposure, though CNS involvement occurs after ingestion of tapeworm eggs and subsequent tissue infection rather than simply eating cysticerci in meat. The other parasites don’t fit this presentation: Trichinella spiralis from undercooked pork mainly causes fever, myalgias, and periorbital edema rather than CNS symptoms; Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) causes intestinal infection with few neurologic signs; Ascaris lumbricoides typically affects the gut and lungs, not the brain.

Neurocysticercosis from Taenia solium matches the combination of seizures, headaches, mental status changes, and hydrocephalus. When the brain is invaded by cysticerci, these cysts can obstruct CSF pathways or trigger inflammatory reactions as they degenerate, leading to intracranial hypertension and seizures—the hallmark signs here. The clue about eating undercooked pork points toward Taenia solium exposure, though CNS involvement occurs after ingestion of tapeworm eggs and subsequent tissue infection rather than simply eating cysticerci in meat. The other parasites don’t fit this presentation: Trichinella spiralis from undercooked pork mainly causes fever, myalgias, and periorbital edema rather than CNS symptoms; Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) causes intestinal infection with few neurologic signs; Ascaris lumbricoides typically affects the gut and lungs, not the brain.