Taenia

saima ismail
2014-ag -2547
Iqra Aziz
2013-ag-3776

M.Phil.(parasitology)
3rd smester
Introduction

 Taenia is a genus of tapeworms (a type of helminth) that includes some

important parasites of livestock
 Members of the genus are responsible for taeniasis and cysticercosis
in humans.
Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the
tapeworm Taenia solium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue,
and are a major cause of adult onset seizures in most low-income countries
 More than 32 species are recorded.
 Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm)
 Taenia solium (pork tapeworm),
 Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm).
Morphology

 Characterized by a ribbon-like body composed of a series of segments

called proglottids
 The anterior end of the body is the scolex. Not all members of the
genus Taenia have an armed scolex (hooks and/or spines located in the "head"
region)
 Proglottids have a central ovary, with a vitellarium (yolk gland) posterior to it.
As in all cyclophyllid cestodes, a genital pore occurs on the side of the
proglottid. Eggs are released when the proglottid deteriorates, so a uterine
pore is unnecessary.
Host range

Parasite species Definitive host Intermediate host

Taenia saginata (beef tape

humans cattle
worm)

Taenia solium (pork

humans pigs, humans
tapeworm)
Life cycle

 The lifecycle begins with either the gravid proglottids or free eggs
with oncospheres (also known as hexacanth embryos) being passed in the feces,
which can last for days to months in the environment.
 The intermediate host (cattle, pigs, rodents, etc., depending on the species)
must then ingest the eggs or proglottids. If the host is a correct one for the
particular species, the embriophores then hatch, and the hexacanth embryos
invade the wall of the small intestine of the intermediate host to travel to
the striated muscles to develop into cysticerci larvae.
 Here they grow, cavitate, and differentiate into the second larval form shaped like
a bladder) which is infectious to the definitive host when an invaginated
protoscolex is completely developed.
 To continue the process, the definitive host must eat the uncooked meat of the
intermediate host. Once in the small intestine of the definitive host, the bladder
is digested away, the scolex embeds itself into the intestinal wall, and the neck
begins to bud off segments to form the strobila. New eggs usually appear in the
feces of the definitive host within 6 to 9 weeks, and the cycle repeats itself.
Transmission

 Consumption of raw and/or undercooked pork products

 Human-to-human or pig-to-human transfer of T. solium eggs through direct

contact with feces

 Human-to-human or pig-to-human transfer of T. solium eggs through

consumption of food/water containing fecal matter (indirect)
Site of infection

 Adult tape-worms lay in the lumen of the small intestines of their definitive
hosts, attached to the mucosa only by their scoleces.
 Larval stages may develop in a range of tissues and organs in their
intermediate hosts, particularly in muscles, visceral organs and sometimes
the brain.
Sign and symptoms

 Patients with T. saginata taeniasis often experience more symptoms that

those with T. solium because the T. saginata tapeworm is larger in size (up to
10 meters (m)) than T. solium (usually 3 m). Tapeworms can cause digestive
problems
 abdominal pain
 loss of appetite
 weight loss
 and upset stomach.
Diagnosis

 Diagnosis of Taenia tapeworm infections is made by examination of stool

samples
 Stool specimens should be collected on three different days and examined in
the lab for Taenia eggs using a microscope. Tapeworm eggs can be detected in
the stool 2 to 3 months after the tapeworm infection is established.
Prevention and control

 To cook meat to safe temperatures.

 For Whole Cuts of Meat (excluding poultry)
Cook to at least 145° F (63° C) then allow the meat to rest for three minutes
before carving or consuming.
 For Ground Meat (excluding poultry)
Cook to at least 160° F (71° C); ground meats do not require a rest time.
Treatment

 Anthelmintic treatment is effective in killing adult tape-worms but does not

kill eggs.
 Single doses of praziquantel can cure infections in definitive hosts
 while daily doses of praziquantel given for 1-2 weeks are effective against
larval cysticercosis in intermediate hosts.