Tapeworms are parasitic organisms that can infect the digestive tract of humans. A tapeworm living in the human intestine can survive for up to 20 years and grow more than 12 feet long, according to MedlinePlus, a medical information resource established by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. They typically infect the digestive tract, especially the intestines, but some species can travel to other areas of the body. An infection with tapeworms is called taeniasis.
Biology
There are three species of tapeworm that tend to infect humans. Taenia saginata grows in cows and can infect humans who eat beef. Pigs are the animal vector for Taenia solium, which passes into humans through ingestion of undercooked pork. Diphyllobothrium latum is a tapeworm species that comes from eating undercooked freshwater fish. All types live in their animal vector as immature tapeworms, which grow into adult tapeworms when a person eats infected meat. The adult tapeworms are made up of a long chain of segments connected to a head segment that hooks to the intestinal wall. They can shed eggs and segments that produce eggs, which can be spotted in the stool as small white pieces resembling grains of rice, which may move or wiggle. Taenia solium larvae may also migrate out of the intestines to produce cysts in the brain, eye or heart.
Causes
Improper cooking of pork or beef is the most common cause of infection by tapeworms. Poor hygiene, especially in children, can be another cause if an individual touches something with tapeworm eggs on it and then touches their mouth or anal area. Sometimes, Taenia solium is passed along through improper food handling by an infected individual.
Treatment
Treatment generally involves a single dose of oral medication. After a visual inspection of stool or a complete blood count to determine the presence of antibodies to tapeworm, a doctor will typically prescribe niclosamide, praziquantel or albendazole. These medications kill the worm and cure the infection completely.
Prevention
Proper food handling practices and thorough cooking of pork and beef products are the primary methods of tapeworm prevention. Meat should be cooked to a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for five minutes or more to eliminate tapeworm. Freezing can also kill tapeworms in meat. If using this method, meat should be frozen to under -4 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours or more.
Considerations
Some celebrities have advocated the use of tapeworms as an aid for weight loss, but that's not recommended by health professionals. The theory behind this diet is that tapeworms in the digestive tract will eat the foods someone ingests, preventing the body from converting that food into fat stores. However, because tapeworms also take vital nutrients from ingested food, this can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Also, using Taenia solium as a weight loss aid could lead to tapeworm cysts elsewhere in the body, which can become life-threatening.
