Background: Cysticercosis is a parasitic infestation caused by the larval form of a cestode, Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), which form cysts in various human tissues/organs, often in the brain (neurocysticercosis). It is caused by consumption of undercooked pork contaminated with tapeworm cysts. If untreated, the infestation may spread to different organs and cause complications such as epilepsy and heart block. We describe a case of widespread cysticercosis with involvement of the skin, brain, orbit, myocardium, skeletal muscles, including the diaphragm, and the scrotum. Objective: To describe a case of disseminated cysticercosis with multiorgan involvement. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of a case of widespread disseminated cysticercosis was conducted. Secondary data were obtained from the patient’s file. Pictures and excision biopsies for histopathology were taken after obtaining informed consent from the patient, and all ethical requirements were duly complied with. Other investigations included computed tomography scan (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), serology, and an ova and parasites test. Results: A 51-year-old male presented with a 5-year history of generalized asymptomatic skin nodules, which first appeared on the arms. Systemic enquiry was negative. The lesions were firm, some slightly mobile, others deep-seated and less mobile, measuring 1 cm × 1 cm in size, and distributed on the scalp, face, arms, forearms, neck, trunk, and thighs. Ova and parasites tests were negative. The diagnosis of cutaneous cysticercosis was made on histopathology (hematoxylin–eosin). The CT and MRI scans showed active neurocysticercosis and involvement of other organs, including the skeletal and cardiac muscles, diaphragm, and scrotum. Conclusions: We present a case of extensive disseminated cysticercosis involving multiple organs, including the diaphragm, scrotum, and myocardium. To the researchers’ knowledge, this is arguably the first case of cysticercosis where the skin, brain, orbit, myocardium, scrotum, and skeletal muscles, including the diaphragm, were involved.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, A.R.S.-R. and M.K.R.; methodology, A.R.S.-R.; software, A.R.S.-R. and M.K.R.; validation, A.R.S.-R., M.K.R. and T.J.M.; formal analysis, A.R.S.-R.; investigation, A.R.S.-R.; resources, A.R.S.-R., M.K.R. and T.J.M.; data curation, T.J.M.; writing—original draft preparation, A.R.S.-R., M.K.R. and T.J.M.; writing—review and editing, A.R.S.-R.; visualization, A.R.S.-R.; supervision, A.R.S.-R.; project administration, A.R.S.-R.; funding acquisition, None. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The chairperson of the board referred me to South African Ethics in Health Research Guidelines: 2024 Edition, which states that “Current health research ethics guidelines indicate that a single case report (≤3 patients) is usually exempt from research ethics approval’’ (page 57).
Informed Consent Statement
Written informed consent was obtained from the patient to publish this paper.
Data Availability Statement
Data will be available from the corresponding author on request.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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