Transmission
- Transmitted by ingesting undercooked beef containing the tapeworm larvae
- Larvae mature in the human intestines and the mature tapeworm attaches to the intestinal walls to ingest nutrients from the host
- Mature tapeworms release gravid proglottids in the stool which release eggs into the stool, which can remain active in sewage for several weeks
How is Taenia saginata transmitted in cattle?
Taenia saginata is a zoonotic tapeworm that is of economic importance in countries where cattle are kept. The parasite is transmitted from human tapeworm carriers (taeniosis) to bovines (cysticercosis) by excretion of eggs or proglottids containing eggs into the environment via the stool.
What is taeniasis in humans?
Taeniasis in humans is a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm species Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm), Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), and Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm).
Is Taenia saginata contagious to humans?
Taenia saginata. Taenia saginata, known as the beef tapeworm, is transmitted to humans in the form of infectious larval cysts found in the meat of cattle, which serve as the parasite's usual intermediate host.1,5 The T. saginata tapeworm is common in cattle-breeding areas of the world.
What is the host of Taenia saginata?
Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm), T. solium (pork tapeworm), Hymenolepis nana (dwarf tapeworm), and Diphyllobothrium species (fish tapeworm) are the cestodes that most often infect humans. They live in the small intestine. The natural definitive host of both T. solium and T. saginata adults is humans.
What does Taenia saginata cause?
People with taeniasis may not know they have a tapeworm infection because symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent. Taenia solium tapeworm infections can lead to cysticercosis, which is a disease that can cause seizures, so it is important seek treatment.
How does Taenia saginata grow and reproduce?
As hermaphrodites, each body segment called proglottid has complete sets of both male and female reproductive systems. Thus, reproduction is by self-fertilisation. From humans, embryonated eggs, called oncospheres, are released with faeces and are transmitted to cattle through contaminated fodder.
Can Taenia spread from person to person?
Person-to-person transmission may occur in Taenia solium infection, but the result is cysticercosis rather than tapeworm formation.
How do I get rid of Taenia saginata?
Treatment of Taenia saginata Infection Treatment of T. saginata infection is with a single oral dose of praziquantel 5 or 10 mg/kg. Alternatively, a single 2-g dose of niclosamide (not available in the US) is given as 4 tablets (500 mg each) that are chewed one at a time and swallowed with a small amount of water.
Where is Taenia saginata found in the body?
Taenia saginata, called the beef tapeworm, is a common intestinal infection worldwide. Cattle are the intermediate hosts, harboring the tissue cysticerci in their muscle. Humans are the obligate definitive host, harboring the tapeworm form.
How can Taenia saginata be prevented?
One way to prevent taeniasis is to cook meat to safe temperatures. A food thermometer should be used to measure the internal temperature of cooked meat. Do not sample meat until it is cooked.
Which stage of Taenia saginata is usually infective for humans?
The larval stages (metacestodes) of T. saginata and T. solium form distinctive pearly-white cysts (cysticerci) which appear as small (8-10mm in diameter) fluid-filled bladders (hence the common name of bladder-worms), each containing a single invaginated protoscolex (infective stage).
How the Taenia saginata infection can be diagnosed?
Diagnosis of Taenia tapeworm infections is made by examination of stool samples; individuals should also be asked if they have passed tapeworm segments. Stool specimens should be collected on three different days and examined in the lab for Taenia eggs using a microscope.
What is the difference between Taenia saginata and Taenia solium?
solium contains four large suckers and a rostellum containing two rows of large and small hooks. There are usually 13 hooks of each size. The scolex of T. saginata has four large suckers but lacks the rostellum and rostellar hooks.
How long can a tapeworm live in a human?
Adult tapeworms can live for up to 30 years in a host. Intestinal tapeworm infections are usually mild, with only one or two adult tapeworms. But invasive larval infections can cause serious complications.
What kills tapeworm eggs on surfaces?
The Mayo Clinic explains that you should cook meat at temperatures of at least 125 degrees Fahrenheit to kill tapeworm eggs or larvae.
How would I know if I had a tapeworm?
A tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed by finding eggs or tapeworm segments in the stool. Your doctor may ask you to bring in a sample so a lab can look for eggs, larvae, or tapeworm segments. A blood test can spot antigens, foreign substances that let your doctor know your body is trying to fight the infection.
What is the lifecycle of Taenia saginata?
It is a flatworm (Class Cestoda, Order Cyclophyllidea, Family Taeniidae) with a two-stage life cycle: adult (in the definitive host (1)) and larval (in the intermediate host (2)). It lives in the human small intestine, usually just a single specimen at a time.
How do tapeworms reproduce?
Tapeworms are hermaphroditic; each segment has two sets of male and female reproductive organs, which will fill the segment with fertile eggs as the segment is pushed back from the neck. When the segment is full of eggs, it detaches itself from the adult tapeworm and is passed in the feces (Figure 40).
What is the characteristics of Taenia saginata?
CHARACTERISTICS: Taenia saginata is a tapeworm of the class cestoidea, order cyclophyllidea, and family Taeniidae 1 2. Adult Worm: Mature worms are found only in humans. Mature worms are 4 to 8 meters in length with 1,000 to 2,000 proglottids. The scolex has 4 suckers and the rostellum has no hooks.
What is the structure of Taenia saginata?
Taenia saginata has a very distinctive morphology. This flatworm can grow in length from 4 to 12 meters long and 2 milimeters in diameter consisting of a scolex, neck, and strobila. Adults possess a flat, ribbon-like body shape that is important for absorbing nutrients from its hosts' intestine.
How Can I Prevent Infection With Taeniasis?
One way to prevent taeniasis is to cook meat to safe temperatures. A food thermometer should be used to measure the internal temperature of cooked...
Should I Be Concerned About Spreading Taeniasis to The Rest of My Household?
No. However, a disease called cysticercosis can occur when T. solium tapeworm eggs are ingested. For example, people with poor hygiene who have tae...
Can I Get Taeniasis from My Dog Or Cat That was Diagnosed With Tapeworm Infection?
In general, no. The tapeworm that your pet was diagnosed with is more than likely the flea tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). Dog or cat tapeworm infec...
What is the cause of taeniasis?
Taeniasis in humans is a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm species Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm), Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), and Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm). Humans can become infected with these tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked beef ( T. saginata) or pork ( T. solium and T. asiatica ).
Can you get tapeworms from eating meat?
Humans can become infected with these tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked beef ( T. saginata) or pork ( T. solium and T. asiatica ). People with taeniasis may not know they have a tapeworm infection because symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent.
Can taenia solium cause seizures?
Taenia solium tapeworm infections can lead to cysticercosis, which is a disease that can cause seizures, so it is important seek treatment. Images: Left & Center: Scoleces of T. solium. Note the four large suckers and rostellum containing two rows of hooks. Right: Scolex of T. saginata.
How does Taenia saginata contract?
Taenia saginata - oncosphere. Humans contract infective cysticerci by eating raw or undercooked meat. Once reaching the jejunum, the inverted scolex becomes evaginated to the exterior under stimuli from the digestive enzymes of the host. Using the scolex, it attaches to the intestinal wall.
How to identify taenia saginata?
The eggs look like other eggs from the family Taeniidae, so it is only possible to identify the eggs to the family, not to the species level. Since it is difficult to diagnose using eggs alone, looking at the scolex or the gravid proglottids can help identify it as Taenia sagina ta. Proglottids sometimes trickle down the thighs of infected humans and are visible with unaided eye, so can aid with identification. Observation of scolex help distinguish between T. saginata, T. solium and T. asiatica. When the uterus is injected with India ink, its branches become visible. Counting the uterine branches enables some identification ( T. saginata uteri have 12 or more branches on each side, while other species such as T. solium only have five to 10).
How long do taenia saginata live?
Taenia saginata adult worms can live in the host for up to 25 years and most infections will last 2 to 3 years without treatment. The Taenia Saginata remains asymptomatic due to the fact the organism does not present cysticerci in humans. Therefore there is no presence of cysticercosis in humans either.
What is the difference between T. solium and T. saginata?
Also Ziehl–Neelsen stain can be used to differentiate between mature T. saginata and T. solium, in most cases T. saginata will stain while T. solium will not, but the method is not strictly reliable.
What is a beef tapeworm?
For the infection, see taeniasis. Taenia saginata (synonym Taeniarhynchus saginatus ), commonly known as the beef tapeworm, is a zoonotic tapeworm belonging to the order Cyclophyllidea and genus Taenia. It is an intestinal parasite in humans causing taeniasis (a type of helminthiasis) and cysticercosis in cattle.
How do cattle get their eggs?
Cattle acquire the embryonated eggs, the oncospheres, when they eat contaminated food. Oncospheres enter the duodenum, the anterior portion of the small intestine, and hatch there under the influence of gastric juices. The embryonic membranes are removed, liberating free hexacanth ("six-hooked") larvae. With their hooks, they attach to the intestinal wall and penetrate the intestinal mucosa into the blood vessels. The larvae can move to all parts of the body by the general circulatory system, and finally settle in skeletal muscles within 70 days. Inside the tissue, they cast off their hooks and instead develop a protective cuticular shell, called the cyst. Thus, they become fluid-filled cysticerci. Cysterci can also form in lungs and liver. The inner membrane of the cysticercus soon develops numerous protoscolices (small scolices) that are invertedly attached to the inner surface. The cysticercus of T. saginata is specifically named cysticercus bovis to differentiate from that of T. solium, cysticercus cellulosae.
How many proglottids are there in the midstrobila?
An individual can have as many as 1000 to 2000 proglottids. T. saginata does not have a digestive system, mouth, anus, or digestive tract.
Why is taeniasis under reported?
Taeniasis is under-reported in a significant portion of the world because diagnosis is difficult in resource-poor settings. The number of new cases in the U.S. each year is probably less than 1000, but an exact number is not known.
Where is taenia asiatica found?
Taenia asiatica is limited to Asia and is seen mostly in the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand.
How big is a T. saginata tapeworm?
solium or T. asiatica infections because the T. saginata tapeworm is larger in size (up to 10 meters (m)) than the other two tapeworms (usually 3 m). Tapeworms can cause digestive problems including abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and upset stomach.
What is taeniasis in humans?
What is taeniasis? Taeniasis in humans is a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm species Taenia saginata (be ef tapeworm), Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), and Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm). Humans can become infected with these tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked beef ( T. saginata) or pork ( T. solium and T. asiatica ).
How to prevent taeniasis?
One way to prevent taeniasis is to cook meat to safe temperatures. A food thermometer should be used to measure the internal temperature of cooked meat. Do not sample meat until it is cooked. USDA recommends the following for meat preparation.
Can taeniasis cause seizures?
People with taeniasis may not know they have a tapeworm infection because symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent. T. solium tapeworm infections can lead to cysticercosis, which is a disease that can cause seizures, so it is important seek treatment. More on: cysticercosis.
Can you get taeniasis from eating pork?
Because of this, certain groups with dietary restrictions for these meats may have a lower risk of taeniasis.
How to treat taeniasis?
The treatment of taeniasis by Taenia solium is important to prevent neurocysticercosis and as a tool to assist in controlling or stopping the parasite transmission cycle. The treatment can be done on an individual bases, or as preventive chemotherapy depending on the local circumstances and the control approaches being implemented. Taenaisis can be treated with single doses of praziquantel (10 mg/kg) or niclosamide (adults and children over 6 years: 2 g, children aged 2–6 years: 1 g). Albendazole at 400 g for 3 consecutive days has also been used.
How do you get T. solium taeniasis?
T. solium taeniasis is acquired by humans through the ingestion of the parasite's larval cysts (cysticerci) in undercooked and infected pork. Human tapeworm carriers excrete tapeworm eggs in their faeces and contaminate the environment when they defecate in open areas.
What is taeniasis in a worm?
The term taeniasis refers to intestinal infection with tapeworms.
Where is cysticercosis endemic?
WHO has supported a 3-year pilot project in Madagascar where cysticercosis is endemic as conditions are very favorable for the transmission of the parasite. A preventive chemotherapy for taeniasis was implemented in Antanifotsy district for 3 consecutive years, and is continuing to support further one-health integrated projects in the country to achieve a sustained control.
Why do humans get infected with T. solium?
Humans can also become infected with T. solium eggs due to poor hygiene (via the fecal-oral route) or ingesting contaminated food or water. Ingested T. solium eggs develop to larvae (called cysticerci) in various organs of the human body.
Can tapeworms infect humans?
Tapeworm eggs passed in the faeces with the tapeworm carrier are infective for pigs. T. solium eggs may also infect humans if they are ingested by a person (via the fecal-oral route, or by ingesting contaminated food or water), causing infection with the larval parasite in the tissues (human cysticercosis).
Can humans get taeniasis from beef?
Humans can become infected with T. saginata or T. asiatica when they consume infected beef meat or pig liver tissue, respectively, which has not been adequately cooked, but taeniasis due to T. saginata or T. asiatica has no major impact on human health. Therefore, this fact sheet refers to the transmission and health impacts of T. solium only.
How is Taenia saginata transmitted?
Tapeworm is caused mainly by three species, where does your contagion come from:
What is a taenia saginata?
The Taenia saginata (tapeworm), also known as Taenia solium, is an infection caused by the had a type of parasite. He had been very small types of parasites, which adhere to living beings in order to live. Taenia is frequently found in contaminated food and water. If a person consumes food or baby from contaminated water, ...
What are the symptoms of taenia?
The symptoms of this infection produce a severe headache, loss of sight, dizziness, and attacks of epilepsy that can be lethal. Neurocysticercosis is known as the most frequent cause of epilepsy in the world. Taenia mainly affects agricultural farms in the communities of the underdeveloped countries. This results in the loss of many beef and pork ...
What is the best medicine for taeniasis?
Doctors recommend taking these medications, after a light breakfast. Other medicines that doctors usually prescribe are; taking albendazole and metronidazole.
How do you know if you have taeniasis?
Symptoms may include nausea, pain in the abdomen, diarrhea or constipation. These symptoms remain, until with the treatments the parasite dies. The incubation time of taeniasis varies depending on the type of person, some people more resistant than others.
What is a giardia lamblia?
Giardia lamblia – Wellness and Health – WebMediums. It is a contamination of the small intestine caused by a parasite, it is also known as Giardia intestinalis. This infection is the main cause of gastrointestinal diseases. webmediums.com. The treatment of taeniasis includes the administration of praziquantel or niclosamide.
How long do tapeworms live?
The eggs of these parasites take time to mature in about a couple of months. Then they become adult worms, and can live in the body for several years . Tapeworm is usually made up of one or two adult parasites. Taenia is present all over the world, but especially in the livestock areas of Africa, Europe, Mexico, and South America.
Overview
Taenia saginata (synonym Taeniarhynchus saginatus), commonly known as the beef tapeworm, is a zoonotic tapeworm belonging to the order Cyclophyllidea and genus Taenia. It is an intestinal parasite in humans causing taeniasis (a type of helminthiasis) and cysticercosis in cattle. Cattle are the intermediate hosts, where larval development occurs, while humans are definitive hosts harbourin…
Description
T. saginata is the largest of species in the genus Taenia. An adult worm is normally 4 to 10 m in length, but can become very large; specimens over 22 m long are reported. Typical of cestodes, its body is flattened dorsoventrally and heavily segmented. It is entirely covered by a tegument. The body is white in colour and consists of three portions: scolex, neck, and strobila. The scolex ha…
Life cycle
Cattle acquire the embryonated eggs, the oncospheres, when they eat contaminated food. Oncospheres enter the duodenum, the anterior portion of the small intestine, and hatch there under the influence of gastric juices. The embryonic membranes are removed, liberating free hexacanth ("six-hooked") larvae. With their hooks, they attach to the intestinal wall and penetrate the inte…
Epidemiology
The disease is relatively common in Africa, some parts of Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and Latin America. This parasite is found anywhere where beef is eaten, including countries such as the United States, with strict federal sanitation policies. In the US, the incidence of infection is low, but 25% of cattle sold are still infected. The total global infection is estimated to be between 40 and 60 million. It is most prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
Symptoms
T. saginata infection is usually asymptomatic, but heavy infection often results in weight loss, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, nausea, constipation, chronic indigestion, and loss of appetite. Intestinal obstruction in humans can be alleviated by surgery. The tapeworm can also expel antigens that can cause an allergic reaction in the individual. It is also a rare cause of ileus, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, and cholangitis. Taenia saginata has been reported as a cause of gall…
Genome
• Taenia Genome database
• WormBase ParaSite
Diagnosis
The basic diagnosis is done from a stool sample. Feces are examined to find parasite eggs. The eggs look like other eggs from the family Taeniidae, so it is only possible to identify the eggs to the family, not to the species level. Since it is difficult to diagnose using eggs alone, looking at the scolex or the gravid proglottids can help identify it as Taenia saginata. Proglottids sometimes trickle down the thighs of infected humans and are visible with unaided eye, so can aid with iden…
Treatment
Taenaisis is easily treated with praziquantel (5–10 mg/kg, single-administration) or niclosamide (adults and children over 6 years: 2 g, single-administration after a light breakfast, followed after 2 hours by a laxative; children aged 2–6 years: 1 g; children under 2 years: 500 mg). Albendazole is also highly effective for treatment of cattle infection. During the 1940s, the preferred treatment was oleoresin of aspidium, which would be introduced into the duodenum via a Rehfuss tube.
Symptoms
Treatment
- to assist in controlling or stopping the parasite transmission cycle. The treatment can be done on an individual bases, or as preventive chemotherapy depending on the local circumstances and the control approaches being implemented. Taeniasiscan be treated with single doses of praziquantel (10 mg/kg) or niclosamide (adults and children over 6 years: 2 g, children aged 2–6 years: 1 g). …
Prevention and Control
- There are several interventions for the control of T. soliumthat can be used in different combinations. In a meeting of experts in 2009, they were identified as: Core “rapid impact” interventions: 1. treatment of human taeniasis; 2. intervention in pigs (vaccination plus anthelmintic treatment); Supporting measures: 1. community health education, including hygien…
Who’s Response
- Promoting better clinical management of neurocysticercosis
Epilepsy is one of the most common clinical signs in patients with NCC. WHO recognizes that people with epilepsy frequently suffer stigmatization and discrimination. WHO urges the Member States to support the establishment and implementation of strategies for the management of ep… - Supporting countries in their cysticercosis control efforts
WHO has been asked by countries affected with cysticercosis, to support their efforts to control the disease. Here are some of the actions taken: Identification of endemic areas (mapping): One of the first steps to control the disease is to identify those communities or endemic areas wher…
Strengthening Prevention and Control Through A One-Health Approach
- The transmission cycle of T. soliuminvolves pigs as intermediate hosts. As part of an integrated control strategy to break the transmission cycle of the parasite it is important to implement control measures in pigs. Advocating a multi-sectorial approach with key partners: WHO is working closely with partner agencies such as the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) an…
Improving Data on T. Solium
- Robust surveillance data is fundamental to assess disease burden, take action and to evaluate progress. As for other neglected diseases, data is especially scarce. WHO is active in counters this situation by collecting and mapping data on T. solium distribution and risk factors associated with the occurrence of the parasite, such as information on pig keeping, food safety and sanitati…