Coenurosis

Coenurosis is a parasitic disease caused by larval Taenia tapeworms that develop as fluid-filled, mult-headed cysts in intermediate-host tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord.

Connect

Taenia multiceps: A tapeworm whose larval stage commonly causes coenurosis in sheep and goats. Its larvae form the cerebral cysts responsible for classical coenurosis in livestock.
Cerebral coenurosis: Coenurosis in which larval cysts develop in the brain or spinal cord. This common livestock presentation causes behavioral changes, circling, and impaired coordination.
Taenia serialis: A tapeworm whose larval coenurus cysts usually develop in the connective tissues of rabbits and hares. Its larvae cause subcutaneous or muscular coenurosis rather than the typical cerebral form.
Cysticercosis: A disease caused by larval Taenia cysticerci developing in tissues, including the brain. Unlike coenurosis, cysticercosis typically involves a single larval head per cyst.
Coenurus cerebralis: The fluid-filled larval cyst of Taenia multiceps, containing many invaginated tapeworm heads. This cyst develops in the central nervous system and produces neurological signs.
Human coenurosis: A rare zoonotic infection in which Taenia larvae form coenurus cysts in human tissues. Human cases show that the parasite’s intermediate-host stage can infect people.
Taenia brauni: An African Taenia species whose larval stage can cause coenurosis in primates and humans. It is among the less common species associated with human coenurus infection.
Echinococcosis: A parasitic disease caused by larval Echinococcus tapeworms, often producing hydatid cysts. Its cysts arise from a different tapeworm genus and have a distinct larval structure.
Taenia life cycle: A life cycle in which adult tapeworms reproduce in definitive hosts and larvae develop in intermediate hosts. Coenurosis results when an intermediate host ingests eggs shed by an adult tapeworm host.
Veterinary parasitology: The study of parasites affecting animals and their diagnosis, treatment, and control. Coenurosis is chiefly managed as a parasitic disease of sheep and other livestock.