Tapeworm strip

Taenia infestation, also known as tapeworm disease, is a condition caused by small creatures called parasites and usually affects the digestive system. Tapeworms are transmitted by eating undercooked or raw meat (containing tapeworms). Cattle generally transmit Taenia saginata, while pigs are carriers of Taenia solium. Tapeworms are segmented, meaning they have nodes. Each node has the capacity to produce eggs.

It is an extremely common condition throughout the world.

Beef Tapeworm (Taenia saginata)

Tapeworm larvae (immature tapeworms) ingested with meat can mature in the human intestines and reach lengths of 4-6 meters.

Tapeworm disease usually does not cause any symptoms. A person usually realizes that they have tapeworms when they see tapeworms in their stool, especially the mobile particles.

Rarely, upper abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and weight loss may occur. Sometimes, they can cause obstruction in the appendix, bile ducts, and pancreatic ducts.

Dışkıda parazitin yumurta ve boğumlarının görülmesi ile tanı konur. Taenia saginata nın hareketli parçaları dışkıda görülebilir. Parazit yumurtalarını makat civarında toplayabilmek amacı ile kullanılan selofan bant yöntemi ile %85-95 hastada tanı konulabilir.

Tapeworm disease can be treated with medication, usually in a single dose. The most commonly used medication is niclosamide.

Pork Tapeworm (Taenia solium)

Its length is approximately 5 meters. Although it is not common in our country, it is very common in the world.

Unlike beef tapeworm, they can cause cyst formation in the brain, heart, eyes, lungs, subcutaneous tissue and muscles: Adults and children with pork tapeworm, if they do not pay enough attention to hygiene, swallow the eggs in the anus with their hands after defecation. When these eggs reach the intestines, larvae hatch from them and pass into the tissues, forming cysts. If the larvae reach the brain, they can cause epileptic attacks (seizures?) and other neurological problems. This condition is called cysticercosis.

Other symptoms are the same as those of beef tapeworm.

Diagnosis can be made by seeing eggs and larvae in the stool. Cysts can also be seen in radiological examinations. Diagnosis can also be made by biopsy of swellings under the skin.

A single dose of niclosamide is used for treatment. In cases where cysts form, the treatment is surgical.

Fish Tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum)

Some freshwater fish and salmon can carry a tapeworm called Diphyllobothrium latum. It is usually transmitted through salted, raw or undercooked fish meat.

Their length can be 3-10 meters.

These parasites attach to the intestines.

The female parasite can produce more than 1 million eggs per day.

Abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, vomiting, weight loss, and Vitamin B12 deficiency and macrocytic anemia may develop.

Diagnosis is made by detecting large amounts of eggs in the stool.

A single dose of niclosamide is used in treatment.

Protection from Tapeworms

Adequate cooking of meat destroys tapeworm larvae. Adequate hand washing after using the toilet and proper hygiene at all times prevents the spread of the disease.