Taeniases and cysticercosis in Indonesia: past and present situations

Abstract

SUMMARYThe main aim of this study is to overview the past and present situations of human taeniases and cysticercosis in Indonesia and including future perspectives. Through joint projects from 1996, we have confirmed the occurrence of Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) in Bali, of Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) mainly in Papua and sporadically in Bali, and of Taenia asiatica in North Sumatra. These taeniases were caused through eating uncooked pork and pig viscera for T. solium and T. asiatica, respectively, and beef for T. saginata. The distribution of these tapeworms in Indonesia is basically highly restricted by the traditional cultural and religious backgrounds in each island. T. saginata is relatively common in Bali although people consume pork ‘lawar’ more than beef ‘lawar’. Taeniases due to T. saginata or T. asiatica and T. solium and cysticercosis due to T. solium have also been sporadically reported in some other islands. Among these species, T. solium is exceptional since humans can be infected not only by larval stages (cysticerci) in pork but also by eggs released from human tapeworm carriers. Cysticercosis has been confirmed in Indonesia in humans, pigs and even dogs.

Simple Identification of Human Taenia Species by Multiplex Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification in Combination with Dot Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

“…Copro-DNA samples prepared from fecal samples were also used. These specimens had been collected from patients in endemic areas and previously identified by multiplex PCR 12,13,20 and LAMP 16,18,19 assays (Table 1). LAMP primers.…”

“…[1][2][3][4] Neurocysticercosis, an infection of the central nervous system, has been increasingly recognized as a lethal helminthic disease in both developing 1,5,6 and developed countries. [7][8][9] Among the Taeniae of humans, including T. solium, Taenia saginata, and Taenia asiatica, which cause taeniasis, [10][11][12][13] only T. solium causes cysticercosis in humans. The lack of diagnostic tools available for use in the field to differentiate T. solium from other human Taenia species hinders the control of cysticercosis in endemic areas.…”

Taenia solium Taeniasis and Cysticercosis in Southeast Asia

“…[22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Several cases of accidental drowning and burns have also been linked to epileptic seizures. 29,30 However, from the perspective of disease control and eradication, taeniasis cases are of importance as they play a key role in perpetuating the T. solium life cycle. highest concentrations of free-ranging pigs, and they being coprophagic, eat human feces that may contain T. solium eggs.…”

“…These include poor hygiene and sanitation practices such as open defecation, lack of health hardware such as functioning latrines, lack of access to clean water, lack of basic education and knowledge on disease transmission, feeding human waste to pigs, ancestral sacrifices and consumption of raw pork, and lack of meat inspection practices at slaughter houses. 14,29,33,34 In addition, household contacts may acquire the infection through direct or indirect contact with carrier's feces, and clustering of neurocysticercosis cases around carriers has been further identified. 14,35 There have also been reports suggesting a link between cysticercosis and the use of human feces and "wastewater" for fertilizing crops.…”

“…[38][39][40] Transmission of T. saginata occurs through eating raw beef, whereas T. asiatica is acquired through consumption of uncooked pork viscera, but not meat. 29 Dog tapeworm, Taenia hydatigena, on the other hand is not known to cause human disease but pigs can serve as intermediate hosts. 41 Interestingly, all Taenia species could potentially influence the transmission dynamics of T. solium through competitive density-dependent crowding mechanisms in the gut in both humans and animals.…”