Cysticercosis of Cheek - A Rare Site

Cysticercosis caused by Taenia solium is a helminthic infection. It usually resides in animals and humans to complete its life cycle and cause the disease within it. Cysticercosis in humans is acquired by ingestion of eggs or its larvae form. It is caused due to improper sanitation, fecal ingestion by the pigs which is infected with larvae of cysticercus, improper vaccination of pigs and ingestion of raw or uncooked pork and meat by the humans. Most commonly it involves the brain, heart, liver, muscles, lungs and the peritoneal cavity. When there is involvement of the mouth, frequently occurring sites include the tongue, buccal mucosa and rarely floor of mouth. Likewise, most commonly, the skeletal muscle involvement is noted.

It is usually diagnosed by radiological and pathological investigations. Radiologically, USG and MRI characteristically reveals the lesion caused by cysticercosis. Pathologically, the biopsy done of the affected area shows the inhabited cysticercus along with its causative changes in the tissue like edema, congestion and infiltration of Inflammatory infiltrates. Being a parasitic infestation, eosinophilic infiltration around the membrane of cysticercus is commonly noted in the biopsy. This is the presentation of the case report, where there is an occurrence of Cysticercosis in the muscles of cheek, a site with rare occurrence.