Taenia

About Tapeworms

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...

Diseases From Tapeworms

All tapeworms have three sections. The scolex, or head, attaches to the lining of the intestines; the neck is the second section, and leads to the third section, or the body of the tapeworm. The body is made up of segments, called proglottids,...

Characteristics of Human Pork Tapeworm

Eating undercooked pork puts people at risk for becoming infected with a pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, the most dangerous type of tapeworm that exists for humans. This tapeworm can travel to your muscles, liver, heart, lungs, eyes and even your...

Different Kinds of Tapeworms

Tapeworms are ribbonlike, segmented flatworms that parasitize humans. The vast majority of tapeworm infections are caused by ingestion of undercooked or raw meat or fish. Tapeworms range in size from a few centimeters to a dozen meters depending...

Bad Effects of Tapeworms

Tapeworms are flat, elongated, ribbon-like worms that are parasitic to humans. The adult tapeworm lives in the intestinal tract of humans, while the larval stage of the tapeworm is in the tissues of the animal or fish host. Tapeworms are...

Treatment for a Tapeworm Infection

Tapeworms are just one of three types of parasitic worms---parasitic because they require a host in which to mature through their life cycle. In order to determine the treatment for a tapeworm, or cestode, it is important to know the species, its...

Can Eating Raw Pork Cause Tapeworms?

In severe cases, tapeworm infection leads to abnormal nervous system function, seizures and damage to the heart, the University of Maryland Medical Center warns. Tapeworms are parasites that usually stay within your intestines, but sometimes...

Tapeworm Diseases

Tapeworms live as parasites in the gastrointestinal tract. Some organisms primarily infect humans, while others normally infect animals but can also cause disease in humans. They are found worldwide and, although most cause only mild disease, some...

Tapeworm Types

There are many species of tapeworm, but only four commonly cause disease in humans: the pork tapeworm, beef tapeworm, fish tapeworm and dwarf tapeworm. All are flatworms, or cestodes, that live as parasites within the human intestinal tract and...

10 Human Parasites

Parasites that infect humans are as old as antiquity. As a matter of fact, calcified parasitic eggs of schistosomes have been found in Egyptian mummies from as far back as 1200 B.C. In the United States human parasites are not a major issue...

What Are Some Signs That a Person Has Tapeworms?

According to the Merck Manual, three species of tapeworm may cause infections of the intestine in humans: beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata), pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) and fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum). These cause infections with adult...

What Are the Effects of Tapeworms in Humans?

Tapeworms enter the human body through consumption of contaminated food or improper food handling. The most common type of tapeworms are found in beef (Taenia saginata) and pork (Taenia solium). The medical term for tapeworm infection is...

Different Types of Worms in Humans

Worms in humans are parasites that typically invade the intestinal tract, although some types can infect other parts of the body, as well. Infections with worms are a significant source of disease and death, especially in tropical and subtropical...

Types of Intestinal Worms

Parasitic worms are a significant cause of infectious disease worldwide, especially in developing nations without adequate sanitation facilities. Many of these worms inhabit the intestines, feeding off the nutrients and blood supply found there....

What Are the Causes of Tapeworm?

Tapeworms are flat parasitic worms that infect human intestines. People are most commonly infected by ingesting the immature form of the worms (called the larvae) in raw or undercooked meat or fish. Once ingested, the larvae travel to the...

Signs of Tapeworms

Tapeworms are a type of parasite scientifically classified as Cestoda that live in the digestive and intestinal tract of animals and humans. Tapeworms are sometimes referred to as flatworms and can reach lengths anywhere from a few inches to 40...

About Tapeworms in Humans

Tapeworms belong to a group of worms called cestodes. They are found in Asia and Africa and occur in areas with poor sanitation. Humans become infected when they consume eggs and larvae of the tapeworm host. Tapeworms species include...

Medical Treatments for a Tapeworm

Tapeworms are parasitic roundworms contracted by eating larvae in raw or undercooked meats, or the eggs on contaminated foodstuffs. Adult tapeworms live in the human intestine; larval worms form cysts throughout the body. Tapeworms (also called...

Diseases Caused by Tapeworms

Tapeworms, or cestodes, cycle through three stages--eggs, larvae and adults. In humans, the adults reside in the gastrointestinal tract, and the larvae live in almost every organ. When the the larvae have penetrated tissues, they develop into...

Allergies to Grass and Pollen & Contracting Parasites

Allergy-causing pollen travels through the air, while parasites exist in contaminated foods or drinks. You cannot cure allergies, but you can limit your exposure to pollen, reducing your symptoms. You can help prevent contracting parasites by...

What Are the Treatments for Human Parasites?

Human parasites depend on a host for nourishment, often to the detriment of the person infected. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annually there are 7.4 million cases of parasitic infection caused by the protozoa,...

Causes of Brain Cysts

A brain cyst is a small sac that is filled with air, liquid or another type of material. Cysts are different than tumors, explains MayoClinic.com. A cyst is small, noncancerous sac. A tumor, in contrast, is caused by the abnormal growth of...

Parasitic Infection Symptoms

The symptoms of parasitic infections vary widely, depending on the type of parasitic organism and the underlying health of the person. The most common parasites infect the intestinal tract, but some parasites infect the brain, eye, skin or sexual...

Do Isometrics Work?

Although we typically think of lifting weights as the only method to contract and train muscles, there are in fact three different types of muscle contractions all producing strength and mass: isotonic, isokinetic and isometric. An isotonic...