The role of cooking practices in the transmission of the foodborne parasite Taenia solium: A qualitative study in an endemic area of Southern Tanzania.

The pork tapeworm Taenia solium is a zoonotic food-borne parasite endemic in many developing countries causing human cysticercosis and taeniosis as well as porcine cysticercosis. It mainly affects the health of rural smallholder pig farmers and their communities, resulting in lower health status, reduced pork quality, and economic loss due to condemnation of pigs or low pricing of pork. This qualitative study aimed to identify key food related practices linked to consumption of pork at village level, of importance for transmission of taeniosis.

The effect of temperature and time on the viability of Taenia solium metacestodes in pork.

Objective: Taenia solium taeniosis is a growing health problem in large parts of the world including Sub-Saharan Africa. Humans are infected by eating undercooked pork with T. solium metacestodes, which cause taeniosis.