cysticercosis is a potentially fatal parasitic disease caused by the larva ( cyticercosis cellulosae ) of tapeworm taenia solium . cysticercosis is common in communities where humans and pigs live in close proximity with poor pig husbandry practices , undercooked pork consumption and where the basic sanitary facilities are lacking . whereas , it is almost non - existent in the islamic countries as there is religious proscription on consumption of pork . in humans , cysticerci are commonly located in the cns where they produce a clinical condition known as neurocysticercosis . it may also be located in muscle , heart , eyes and skin , but oral involvement is rare in humans . taenia solium can cause two distinct forms of infections , determined by the developmental stage of the tapeworm . taeniasis ( icd-9-cm 123.0 ) is infestation of the adult worm in the human intestines , while larval infection in tissues is known as cysticercosis ( icd-9-cm 123.1 ) . humans are the only definitive hosts , while pigs are usual intermediate hosts and can harbour larvae of the helminth in different internal organs including brain . terminal segments of the human intestinal parasite ( proglottids ) contain eggs and are excreted in faeces which are ingested by pigs under unhygienic conditions . the eggs are dissolved and embryos are liberated in the pig gastrointestinal tract , which penetrates the mucosa and gains access to the lymphatic or vascular channel . this contaminated , undercooked meat when taken by humans leads to larva reaching the intestines and develop into adult tapeworm . under rare conditions humans can be intermediate host when they ingest the eggs or proglottids and develop the larval stage . this may happen in conditions where carriers infect themselves through faeco - oral route or regurgitation . a 40-year - old person reported to department of oral pathology with a complaint of painless nodule on the tongue since 1 year . medical and dental histories were non - contributory and dietary history revealed that he was non - vegetarian ( occasional pork consumption ) . intra - oral examination revealed a firm , non - tender , non - ulcerated , well circumscribed , mucosal colored mass of 1 cm  1 cm dimensions on the dorsum of tongue [ figure 1 ] . a provisional diagnosis of fibroma was made , with differential diagnosis of lipoma , pleomorphic adenoma , mucocele and rhabdomyoma . the gross specimen consisted of a well circumscribed , nodular mass of 1 cm  1 cm  1 cm . on microscopic examination , sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin revealed a well circumscribed cyst wall with no surrounding inflammatory cell infiltrate . an outer , wavy , eosinophilic cuticular layer with single layer of subcuticular cells was notice with thin underying myxoid tissue [ figure 3 ] . h and e section ( x10 view ) showing cyst with no inflammatory cell infilterate in the surrounding connective tissue with wavy eosinophilic membrane x40 view showing eosinophilic , wavy , cuticular layer with single layer of subcuticular cells and underlying myxoid tissue management of cysticercosis is multidimensional and includes : surgical excision of the lesions wherever possible , and anticonvulsants if required . serial monitoring is necessary ; given the risk for neurologic deterioration in the setting of inflammatory reactions to dying parasites . in the present case excision of the nodule was itself curative as stool examination ruled out taeniasis and no systemic foci were observed . clinical spectrum of the disease depends upon the location , developmental stage and number of cysts . neural cysticercosis has no specific symptom or sign , but acute symptomatic seizures are the most common . others include headache , hydrocephalus , chronic meningitis , focal neurological deficits , psychological disorders , and dementia . occasionally eosinophilia may be noted when there is leakage of parasitic antigen into surrounding tissues . intra - orally , they present as painless , submucosal nodules most commonly involving the tongue . prognosis of maxillofacial region is excellent with no recurrence , in contrast to other cerebral , ocular , cardiac sites . on searching the pubmed for terms like cyticercosis and oral cysticercosis , we found 91 cases of oral cysticercosis reported in english , chinese , spanish and portugese literature . no gender and age predilection has been reported . among the intra - oral sites , tongue was the most common site , but cases involving rare sites like lip . though the incidence of oral cysticercosis is rare , it should always be considered on observing a nodular oral mass in endemic areas or if a history of visit to endemic areas is present . normal eosinophil counts and vegetarian dietary habits at times can not rule out the possibility of cysticercosis . whenever looking at an innocuous nodule intra - orally , histopathological evaluation is a must.eating pork is a risk factor for teniasis but not for cysticercosis , which is acquired by the consumption of t. solium eggs.cysticercosis can be easily prevented by good personal hygiene practices , effective faecal disposal and proper treatment and prevention of intestinal infection.though a potentially eradicable disease ; still no vaccine has been developed due to complex immunology of the parasite , occult nature of infection and minimal morbidity . whenever looking at an innocuous nodule intra - orally , histopathological evaluation is a must . eating pork is a risk factor for teniasis but not for cysticercosis , which is acquired by the consumption of t. solium eggs . cysticercosis can be easily prevented by good personal hygiene practices , effective faecal disposal and proper treatment and prevention of intestinal infection . though a potentially eradicable disease ; still no vaccine has been developed due to complex immunology of the parasite , occult nature of infection and minimal morbidity .
cysticercosis is a major health concern in developing countries , as it is a major cause of seizures in these countries . 
 the tissues commonly affected are the neural tissues , muscle , heart , lungs , liver , subcutaeneous layers and peritoneum , but oral manifestations are rare . 
 present case is of an asymptomatic tongue nodule which was diagnosed as cysticercosis on histologic examination . 
 thus , emphasizing the importance of routine microscopic examination and diagnosis of apparently innocuous lesions of the oral cavity .