Above: Origami "armed" tapeworm
TAPEWORMS USUALLY DO NOT CAUSE SYMPTOMS THAT YOU NOTICE
Animals can have tapeworms, too
Tapeworm infestation is having adult tapeworms in the digestive tract. Humans and animals can have tapeworm infestation. You can get tapeworms from eating undercooked food. Humans can be hosts (carriers) of larval worms in their body tissues. There are recent reports of an increase of tapeworms infecting the brain more frequently than previously thought to have.
Babies with tapeworms are very irritable.
There are four tapeworms that commonly infect humans. They are shown below. Other kinds (genus Echinococcus) infect intermediate hosts. Those hosts are things like sheep and cattle. (See the life cycle on this page.)
Although tapeworms in the intestine usually cause no symptoms, some people
experience upper abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. Anemia
may develop in people with the fish tapeworm. Infection is generally recognized
when the infected person passes segments of proglottids in the stool (looks like
white worms), especially if a segment is moving.
Worms seldom block the intestine, but it sometimes does happen. Taenia solium larvae can get into to the brain. (See below.) This is really rare, but it can give the host headaches, seizures and other neurological problems. This is called neurocysticercosis. Infection can last for many years before the brain symptoms appear.
Although tapeworms in the intestine usually cause no symptoms, some people
experience upper abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. Anemia
may develop in people with the fish tapeworm. Infection is generally recognized
when the infected person passes segments of proglottids in the stool (looks like
white worms), especially if a segment is moving.
Worms seldom block the intestine, but it sometimes does happen. Taenia solium larvae can get into to the brain. (See below.) This is really rare, but it can give the host headaches, seizures and other neurological problems. This is called neurocysticercosis. Infection can last for many years before the brain symptoms appear.
As you can see, the cycle can begin with the ingestion undercooked meat or fish.The tapeworms grow and release packages of eggs and sperm. They are released by the host when the eggs are formed. If they end up in grass, and the packages open, the eggs are dumped into the grass. If a cow, or sheep or goat eat that grass the eggs would grow into larvae inside the animal. They get into the muscles of the animal. Then, if that animal is slaughtered and the meat is eaten undercooked the cycle starts over again.
Click on the chart to the left for more information.
Click on the chart to the left for more information.