Biliary taeniasis with cholecystitis: An unusual case of taenia solium infection with a literature review

Abstract

Taeniasis is a cosmopolitan helminthic disease caused by Taenia species, which included Taenia solium, Taenia saginata, and Taenia asiatica. These parasites typically infect the small intestine, but cases of aberrant migration have been reported. We treated a 70-year-old man who presented with vomiting and colicky abdominal pain. On physical examination, Murphy’s sign was positive, and laboratory findings indicated severe inflammation. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed typical features of cholecystitis. An 82-cm-long, slender and degenerated, parasite-like organism was aspirated through a percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage tube. After extensive washing of the organism, we detected yellowish-brown colored, spherical 37.9 × 33.8-μm-sized taenid eggs with thick transverse striations. Hematoxylin–eosin-stained worm sections also contained Taeniidae eggs. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA extracted from the worm with species-specific cytochrome c1 (cox1) primer sets detected a T. solium–specific fragment. Because of sustained high fever combined with inflammatory signs, the patient underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and inflamed gallbladder removal. A histopathologic specimen demonstrated chronic reactive cholecystitis. The patient’s fever and leukocytosis rapidly resolved after surgery. We experienced an uncommon case of biliary taeniasis representing cholecystitis caused by adult worm of T. solium.