Control measures for Taenia solium infection in both human and porcine populations are currently impractical and inadequate in disease endemic areas. A series of specific control measures, in addition to abattoir inspection, must be instituted to prevent human and swine Cysticerosis. No control measure has proven effective and sustainable to date. A better understanding of the transmission and infection dynamics of T. solium is necessary to lay the foundations for a successful eradication strategy in terms of realistic time frame, biological impact, and economic plausibility. We propose to quantify those variables that are known to affect the outcome of control programs. This will be achieved through three independent but related experiments: the first will define the average life-span of a T. solium tapeworm, the second will quantify environmental contamination after treating the human population for adult tapeworm, and the third will define the effect of a combined human and porcine intervention in terms of parasitic infection burden. On the basis of the information, we will then develop and validate a new simulation model for T. solium and propose a plausible eradication program suitable for the Peruvian highlands.
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