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Tapeworms
Taenia saginata and solium are the most common tapeworms and are found in beef and pork, respectively.
- epidemiology
- classification and characteristics
- lifecycle
- transmission and infection
- clinical manifestations
- diagnosis
- treatment
Epidemiology
Classification and Characteristics
Tapeworms are cestode platyhelminths.
They are ribbonlike and segmented, with no digestive system.
Lifecyle
- Adults attach to gut wall of humans, their definitive host, via a scolex.
- Ova are released into the environment
- Intermediate hosts develop larvae in their tissues.
Transmission and Infection
Taenia saginata is from beef, while Taenia soilum is from pork.
The larval forms are most often ingested, though digestion of a segment containing eggs can cause a shower of ova throughout body that can produce cysticercosis
Clinical Manifesations
Cysticercosis is bad
Diagnosis
Identification of ova or adult fragments in the stool
Cysticercosis can be diagnosed by serology, X-ray, ultrasound, and other methods
Treatment