Ecological determinants of cysticercosis decline in China

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis is an important global food-borne infectious disease transmitted between humans and pigs.

According to both national surveys and field investigations, the prevalence of the disease in China has significantly decreased in recent decades. The primary disease control measures are health education and promotion, meat inspection, and chemotherapy. Other factors that influence or fundamentally affect human and pig T. solium taeniasis/cysticercosis have been identified, such as pig farming patterns shift and a revolution in sanitary toilets, which block T. solium transmission routes. Pig farming practices have shifted from backyard to large-scale intensive farming, thus decreasing pig contact with, and consumption of, human excreta.

The increased use of sanitary toilets has facilitated hygiene by preventing of human excreta from contacting humans, or polluting the environment, feed, or water. The occurrence of human T. solium infections has markedly decreased as a result of these social changes. This article describes the ecological determinants of the cysticercosis decline in China.