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Cysticercosis — infection by the larval form of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium — is increasingly recognized as a cause of neurologic disease in the U.S. Using mortality statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics and U.S. population data for 2000, investigators identified cysticercosis-related deaths for 1990 through 2002 and calculated cysticercosis mortality rates.
The researchers identified 221 cysticercosis deaths in the U.S. during the 13-year period (mean age at death, 40.5 years [range, 2–88]; 62% male; 85% Latino). Among those who died, 85% were foreign-born, and 62% were immigrants from Mexico. Although the deaths were distributed across 20 states, 57% occurred in California. Of the U.S.-born individuals who died of …