From the CDC[1]:
Neurocysticercosis is a preventable parasitic infection caused by larval cysts (enclosed sacs containing the immature stage of a parasite) of the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium). The larval cysts can infect various parts of the body causing a condition known as cysticercosis. Larval cysts in the brain cause a form of cysticercosis called neurocysticercosis which can lead to seizures. . . . A person acquires neurocysticercosis from unknowingly ingesting microscopic eggs excreted by a person who has an intestinal pork tapeworm.
From Epilepsy Currents[2]:
Neurocysticercosis is a leading cause of seizures and epilepsy in the developing world and is an increasingly important health issue in the United States. Recent results from the Cysticercosis Working Group in Peru provide new evidence supporting the use of antiparasitic agents in highly selected patients with active cysts and seizures.
1. Neglected Parasitic Infections in the United States - Neurocysticercosis. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/resources/pdf/npi_cysticercosis.pdf
2. Neurocysticercosis. Epilepsy Curr. 2004 May; 4(3): 107–111. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1176337/
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