[citation needed] A complication, known as cysticercosis, may occur if the eggs of the pork tapeworm are eaten.

It can lead to headaches, dizziness, seizures, dementia, hypertension, lesions in the brain, blindness, tumor-like growths, and low eosinophil levels.

[citation needed] If consumed by an intermediate host such as a cow or pig, they hatch within the duodenum to become larvae, penetrate through the intestinal wall into nearby blood vessels, and enter the bloodstream.

Once they reach organs such as the skeletal muscles, liver, or lungs, the larvae then develop into a cyst, a fluid-filled cysticercus.

[16] But body segments are not often available, therefore, laborious histological observation of the uterine branches and PCR detection of ribosomal 5.8S gene are sometimes necessary.

[19] Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is highly sensitive (~2.5 times that of multiplex PCR), without false positives, for differentiating the taenid species from faecal samples.

EITB can effectively identify asiatica from other taenid infections since the serological test indicates an immunoblot band of 21.5 kDa exhibited specifically by T.

[21] Even though it gives 100% sensitivity, it has not been tested with human sera for cross-reactivity, and it may show a high false positive result.

[citation needed] Prevention efforts include properly cooking meat, treating active cases in humans, vaccinating and treating pigs against the disease, stricter meat-inspection standards, health education, improved sanitation, and improved pig-raising practices.

Contaminated hands are the primary method of transmission for human cysticercosis, especially in populations like food handlers.

[16] Taeniasis is predominantly found in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, particularly on farms in which pigs are exposed to human excrement.

At a low level though, it occurs everywhere where beef and pork are eaten, even in countries with strict sanitation policies such as the United States.

Taenia saginata is relatively common in Africa, some parts of Eastern Europe,[26] the Philippines, and Latin America.

[28] Taenia asiatica is restricted to East Asia, including Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and China.