infections
Tapeworm Infection
Cysticercosis
People who ingest the eggs of the pork tapeworm can become an intermediate host for the tapeworm (people cannot be intermediate hosts for the beef and fish tapeworms). People may become an intermediate host when one of the following occurs: They swallow the pork tapeworm eggs in food or water contaminated with human stool. They transfer the eggs to their mouth after contact with an infected person or with contaminated clothing and furniture. People with an adult worm in their intestine may reinfect themselves when they swallow eggs from their stool (for example, in contaminated food or water) or possibly when egg-bearing segments of the worm (proglottids) move from their intestine into the stomach and release eggs (autoinfection). As in animal intermediate hosts, the eggs develop into spheres containing larvae (oncospheres) when they reach the intestine. The spheres penetrate the intestinal wall and travel to the brain, muscles, other organs, or tissue under the skin, where they form cysts. In people, this form of the disease is called cysticercosis. 