GENERAL PROPERTIES

OF CESTODES
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF
CESTODES
 Classified under subkingdom Metozoa,
phylum Platyhelminthes
 PRIMITIVE WORM
 Do not possess digestive tract
THREE DISTINCT PARTS OF CESTODES
Head or Scolex
Neck

Body
Head or scolex
The head contains an organ attachment called the scolex.
Which may consist of either hooks, suckers, or sucking
grooves.
Rostellum – Fleshy extension, which hooks may be
attached.
Neck

 Region of growth and actively dividing

 Segmentation or strobilation originates from

the neck
Body

The body is divided into multiple segments

called proglottids. A series of proglottids is
called strobila.
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF
CESTODES

All cestodes are hermaphroditic (self-

fertilizing). Each proglottid, therefore, is
capable of laying eggs (now called a
pregnant proglottid or gravid segment.
 GENERAL PROPERTIES OF
CESTODES
Cestodes have three life cycle stages: egg, larva,
and adult worm.
Egg - contains an embryo called the oncosphere.
- Equipped with small hooks called (hooklets).
- Excreted in the feces of infected host
Intermediate host (Cattle, pig, or fish)
 Larva stage encysted in the tissue
Habitat of adult worm
 Intestine of the definitive host
Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm)
 Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm)

 Intermediate host is
cattle
 Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm)
Eggs enter the blood
vessels within the cattle's
intestines. The eggs are
then transported to the
skeletal muscles of the
cattle where they develop
into cysticerci (larvae).
 Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm)

Infection with the beef

tapeworm is acquired
by ingestion of
Humans serve as the
improperly cooked or
definitive hosts
raw beef containing the
infective larva (called
cysticercus). Beef tapeworm known
to achieve a length of as
Larvae then mature into adult much as 10 meters.
worms (pathogenic stage) in
the small intestines within a
period of approximately three
months.
The eggs of Tania saginata are usually indistinguishable from the eggs of the pork
tapeworm Tania solium. Both species may be differentiated by the appearance of their
scolices and the structures of their proglottids
Epidemiology and Pathogenesis
Tania saginata infection is common in areas of the world where beef is routinely eaten, especially
undercooked beef. It has been found to be endemic in Eastern Europe, Russia, Eastern Africa, and
Latin America (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The adult worms do not produce
significant damage in the small intestines.

Disease: Taeniasis
 Usually asymptomatic.
 With high worm burden may complain of diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite with resultant
weight loss, and body malaise.
 The gravid proglottids may reach the anus where egg-laying may occur resulting in itchiness in
the anal region (pruritus ani).
Laboratory Diagnosis
Examination of fecal specimen from infected patients is the procedure of choice. Eggs or gravid proglottids may
be recovered from the stool although eggs are less often found than the proglottids .

Treatment
The drug of choice against the adult worm is praziquantel.

Prevention and Control

Proper waste disposal and sanitation practices as well as the adequate cooking of beef are the main preventive
measures for taeniasis. Freezing of beet meat tor approximately 10 days may kill the encysted larvae. Prompt
treatment of infected persons help prevent spread of the disease.
 Taenia Solium (Pork Tapeworms)
Taenia Solium (Pork Tapeworms)

Important Properties and Life Cycle

-Pork tapeworm is acquired through ingestion of improperly cooked or raw pork meat.
-It contains infective larva called cysticercus cellulosae
-It can also occur following the ingestion of food or water contaminated with human feces that contain the
eggs of the parasite.
-Taenia solium has two infective stages;
~Eggs
~Larvae
-Pigs serve as the intermidiate host while humans serve as both intermidiate and definitive hosts (paki
Italized na lang pr underline yung dalawang intermidiate tas definitive).
Two scenarios that can occur depending on which infective stage entered the human
host;
1. Infection is acquired through ingestion of overcooked or raw pork meat
- Infective stage is the larval form which transforms into adult in the intestines of
infected individuals.
-Humans serve as the definitive hosts.
2. Ingested worm eggs hatch in the small intestines, burrow through the wall of the
intestines into a blood vessel, and dessiminate to various organs.
-Humans serve as intermidiate hosts.
Epidemiology and Phatogenesis

Taenia Solium infection is more prevalent in underdeveloped communities with poor

sanitation and where people eat raw or undercooked pork.
-Adult worms produce little damage in the intestines.
-Encysted larvae may produce damage in the tissues where they disseminate.
~For instance, in the brain, they may manifest as space-occupying lesions.
-Although the larvae may encyst in various tissues of the body, they evoke little
inflammatory response.
However, when the larvae die, they may release substances that may induce an
allergic reaction in the host which may potentially be fatal due to development of
anaphylactic shock.
Figure 13.2 Life cycle of the pork tapeworm Taaenia solium
Disease
1. Taeniasis- the disease produced by adult worm
2. Cysticercosis- the result of larval encystation in various tissues of the body.

Laboratory Diagnosis
-Microscopic examination of stool specimen from infected persons is the
diagnostic procedure of choice in patients with taeniasis.
-Demonstration of ova or proglottids may help establish the diagnosis.
-Demonstration of typical morphology of the scolex can differentiate pork
tapeworms from beef tapeworms.
-For cysticercosis, diagnostic procedure depends on demonstration of the cyst
in tissue through biopsy or CT scan.
Treatment
The drug of choice for treatment of intestinal infection is praziquantel
- For cysticercosis, praziquantel may also be effective, but it is not usually not
recommended for ocular and CNS involvement
-Alternative drugs include albendazole, paromomycin, and quinacrine hydrocholoride.
-Surgical revomal of the larvae may be necessary
-Anti-convulsants may be given in cases of neucysticercosis.

Prevention and Control

Preventive measure for pork tapeworms are the same with beef tapeworms.
Diphyllbothrium Latum (Broad Fish Tapeworm)
Important Properties and Life Cycle
- The longest tapeworms, the fish tapeworms can reach a legth of about 13 meters.
- Its eggs consist of ciliated larvae called coracidia (s. coracidium)
- One end of egg is occupied by a lid structure called an operculum.
- Its scolex contains a pair of long sucking grooves
- The gravid segment contain a uterine structure that is centrally located and assumes a rosette formation
- Human infection with D. Latum is through ingestion of improperly cooked or raw fish containing the plerocercoid
(infective stage), the precursor larval stage.
- After ingestion, the plerocercoid attaches to the intestinal mucosa and matures into adult worm.
- If the eggs come to contact with fresh water, the coracidium hatches and is ingested by the first intermediate host, a
tiny crustacean called a copepod (Cyclops sp.)
 After ingestion, the coracidium develops into larval stage called the precercoid.
 The copepod is then eaten by a freshwater fish (second intermediate host) where the procercoid develops into
plerocercoid.
 Definitive hosts for the parasites are humans and other fish-eating mammal such as dogs, cats, bears, and seals.
Figure 13.3 Life cycle at Diphyllobothrium latum
Epidemiology and Pathogenesis
- D. latum occurs in countries where raw freshwater is consumed.
- Little damage is produced in the small intestines of the human hosts.
- In some individuals, parasite may compete with the host for vitamin B12, leading to a deficiency of this vitamin.

Disease
1. Asymptomatic disease- the most common presentation among most individuals infected with the parasite
2. Diphyllobothriasis- may manifest with symptoms of gastrointestinal involvement, which may include diarrhea and
abdominal discomfort.

Laboratory Diagnosis
- Diagnosis is based on finding of the characteristic egg and/or the proglottids (less frequent) in a stool specimen.
Treatment
-The drug of choice for the treatment of diphyllobothriasis is praziquantel.
-An alternative drug is niclosamide

Prevention and Control

- Preventive measures include proper sanitary procedures, thorough cooking of fish
prior to consumption, and the prompt treatment of infected individuals to prevent
spread of the parasite
-Freezing of the fish for 24-48 hours at 18˚C
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
CHAPTER SUMMARY: