Tapeworm infections are zoonotic infections because they are transmitted
from animals to humans (pigs, cows, fish and dogs). Human intestines
provide an environment in which tapeworm larvae can grow and develop into adults.
Man, on the other hand, serves as an intermediate host in some types of tapeworm infections. Because the tapeworm does not reach adulthood,
only cysts and eggs infect humans.
Tapeworm infections–Types
- Beef Tapeworm
- Pork Tapeworm
- Fish Tapeworm
- Dwarf Tapeworm
Beef Tapeworm
Causative agent
Taenia saginata
Transmission
Through the consumption of inadequately cooked beef, tapeworms may
reach 10 to 15 feet in length in the gut.
Symptoms and signs
- Nutritional problems
- Nausea
- Pain
- Passage of ribbon-like tapeworm segments from the rectum
Investigations
Stool test
Pork Tapeworm
Causative agent
Taenia solium
Symptoms and signs
- Cysticercosis (cysticerci may lodge in the brain, eye or muscle)
- Brain— seizures, swelling of the brain, difficulty in balance,
dementia - Muscle– lumps under the skin
- Eye– the blurring of the vision and occasionally detachment of
the retina - Heart– abnormal rhythms and heart failure
- Spinal cord– loss of motor control, weakness, paralysis
- Calcium salts are laid down in the place of the dead parasite,
creating tiny pebbles in the soft tissue
Investigations
- Stool test
- Blood test
- Biopsy
- Ultrasound
- MRI-brain
- CT-scan
Fish Tapeworm
Causative agent
Diphyllobothrium latum
Transmission
Through the consumption of undercooked fish, especially fish
from the Great Lakes region.
Symptoms and signs
Dwarf Tapeworm
Causative agent
Hymenolepis nana
Transmission
Auto-infect through faecal-oral contact. Ingestion of food
contaminated with mouse droppings may spread the infection.
Symptoms and signs
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Anorexia
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhoea
- Protein-losing enteropathy
- Stunted growth
- Allergic phlyctenular kerato-conjunctivitis
Investigations
Repeated stool test
Treatment
- Ayurvedic Medicines with de-worm properties
- Albendazole
- Vitamin B-12 supplements
- Surgery – In severe cases remove the infected area or facilitate
the removal of the cyst.
Prevention
- Thorough cooking of all meat products so that they reach
temperatures of more than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. - Cysts can be killed by freezing the meat products for long
periods (minimum of 12 hours) - Practice general hygiene to prevent tapeworm infections.