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Taeniasis is an infection caused when a Tapeworm attaches itself to the intestinal tract. It is caused by three parasitic species, Taenia solium, Taenia saginata and Taenia asiatica. Out of these, Taenia Solium can cause major health problems. Taeniasis can present in the form of abdominal pain, unexpected weight loss, intestinal blockage, digestive issues. Taeniasis can be treated via medication in current times.
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Keyterms: Taeniasis, Infection, Tapeworm, Intestinal tract, Taenia solium, Taenia saginata, Taenia asiatica, Parasite, Food, water
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What is Taeniasis?
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The word Taeniasis was derived from the Latin word 'Taenia' which means intestinal tapeworms. It was first discovered in around mid 1800. It is a certain type of infectious disease in humans which is caused by the tapeworm species Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm), Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), and Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm).There are two most wide-spread species of parasites which are the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) and the beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata). These parasitic worms are mostly found in contaminated food or water.
Taeniasis
Causes of Taeniasis
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Taeniasis is caused by the 'Taenia' parasite which lives in the small intestine of a human body. These parasites reproduce through laying eggs which multiply and eventually cause harm to the human body. The maturation periods vary from between 8 to 15 weeks to develop.
Causes of Taeniasis
Taeniasis is normally caused by consuming undercooked beef and pork. Also, it may be caused by contaminated food or water which might contain the larva or eggs of the 'tapeworm' that might develop in the small intestines when consumed by humans. Another cause of this disease might be poor hygiene.
It has been found out through a survey that nearly 50 to 60 million people get affected worldwide by this disease, mostly in rural areas. It can also be seen in developing countries or places which are highly populated with pigs. People with weak immune systems are most likely to be diagnosed with this disease.
Read: Immunity
Symptoms of Taeniasis
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Taeniasis takes upto 8 to 14 weeks to develop in the human body. The symptoms of this disease may vary from person to person depending upon their immunity. Some might show very mild symptoms while other worse,such as:
Mild Symptoms: Diarrhoea, Weight loss, Stomach upset, Loss of appetite, Abdominal pain, Digestive problems
Strong Symptoms: For Nausea, Insomnia, Appendicitis, Pernicious Anaemia, Cysticercosis in Muscles, Blockage of the intestine, Irritation in the perianal area
Symptoms of Taeniasis
Taeniasis: Diagnosis
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The diagnosis of Taeniasis is done by examination of stool samples.It also includes a common physical examination, complete blood count, urine test for examining the presence of eggs or worm segments. The presence of Taenia eggs are examined using a microscope by collecting stool specimens on three different days.Tapeworm eggs are usually detected in the stool in about 2 to 3 months after the tapeworm infection is established.
Taeniasis: Diagnosis
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Treatment, Prevention and Safety Measures
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Treatment : The treatment of Taeniasis might be a long process which is typically treated with medications prescribed by your doctor. The prescribed medications may include Praziquantel (Biltricide), Albendazole (Albenza) and Niclosamide. These drugs are anthelmintics which can destroy taenia parasitic worms along with its eggs.
Prevention : The most effective and easiest way to prevent and be safe from Taeniasis are :
- Maintain proper hygiene.
- Avoid contact with the pigs.
- Consume clean and properly cooked food.
- Cook meat at a temperature higher than 140ºF.
- Drink clean, filtered and boiled water to kill germs and parasites.
- Wash hands regularly. Especially before meals.
- Animals, especially cows and pigs should be inspected on a regular basis to check if they are diagnosed with any disease.
Risk Factors Involved
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Taeniasis is mainly seen in areas where people consume beef and pork in large amounts. It is also seen in areas where there are large numbers of poultry farms.
Areas with very poor sanitation facilities and no hygiene maintenance are also likely to face this disease, especially slum areas. People with a weak immune system are also more prone to this disease.
Areas such as of Eastern Europe and Russia, South Korea, Indonesia, China, East Africa and Latin America consume a huge amount of beef and pork and these areas are more prone to Taeniasis.
As Taeniasis is infectious in nature, when people travel to one place to the other where taeniasis spreads widely they are more at risk of carrying the disease along with them.
Things to Remember
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- Taeniasis is an infectious disease caused by a parasitic worm known as ' Taenia'.
- It is caused by undercooked pork and beef.
- It can also be caused by poor sanitation and poor hygiene.
- Taeniasis is prone in areas where consumption of beef and pork is practiced in larger amounts.
- It can be prevented by maintaining proper hygiene and consuming properly cooked meat.
- It can be treated only through prescribed medications by a doctor.
- Taeniasis may not be transmitted to other family members or close friends but a disease called 'Cysticercosis' may occur due to the presence of tapeworm eggs in the body.
- People with poor hygiene having taeniasis (with or without symptoms) will shed tapeworm eggs in their feces and might accidentally contaminate their environment. This can lead to transmission of cysticercosis to themselves or others unknowingly.
- Pets are not likely to be diagnosed by Taenia worms but a flea tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). They might have accidentally swallowed parasite contaminated fleas resulting in tapeworm infection. There are very rare cases in humans of swallowing a contaminated flea.
Read About: Octopus, Snail and Tapeworm Life Cycle
Sample Questions
Ques. What Is Taeniasis? (2 marks)
Ans. Taeniasis is a disease that occurs in the human intestine as a result of the growth and infestation of parasites. These parasites usually invade as a foreign body and then start to multiply in our intestines as they feed on our nutrients. Taeniasis gets its name from the parasites that cause it, namely the tapeworms of the genus Taenia. There are multiple taenia symptoms such as diarrhea, upset stomach, and weight loss, and we also have appropriate procedures for taeniasis treatment.
Ques. What Are The Steps of Prevention of Taeniasis? (3 marks)
Ans. For the prevention of Taeniasis disease, there are some very simple steps that we can follow. Here are those steps:
- Wash hands on a regular basis
- Keep utensils and cutlery clean along with the kitchen.
- Maintain basic daily hygiene and sanitation.
- Check all non-vegetarian products for freshness and proper preservation before consumption and it shouldn't be consumed undercooked.
- Have properly cooked food, especially meat.
Ques. How is Taenia saginata treated? (3 marks)
Ans. Taenia saginata or Taeniasis can be treated with niclosamide or praziquantel. But both aren't available in multiple countries. Between both of them, Niclosamide is regarded as the choice of treatment as it is not absorbed by the intestinal tract and hence there is no chance of provoking neurological symptoms. While mass praziquantel has been chosen for schistosomiasis in several areas of Africa, no controlled safety data on its use is yet available. Post-treatment coproantigen monitoring could prove helpful to detect treatment failures.
Ques. How does a tapeworm obtain nutrients? (2 marks)
Ans. Tapeworms feed themselves through already digested food by organisms as they do not have any digestive tract. They absorb nutrients directly through their skin. This is exactly what they do as parasites inside a human body. This is the only way tapeworms obtain nutrients. When a person's immune system is very weak, the person, hence, shows the worst side of symptoms of this disease.
Ques. What are the possible complications that might occur due to taeniasis in humans? (2 marks)
Ans. There is a very rare case in which worms can create a blockage in the small intestine.
If pork tapeworm larvae inside the intestine move out, they might cause growths and damage tissues in areas such as the brain, eye, or heart. This condition is commonly known as Cysticercosis. When the infection gets spreaded, it might also cause damage in the nervous system.
Ques. How do we know that we are affected by Taeniasis when there is no sign of symptoms? (3 marks)
Ans. Usually, Taeniasis has no symptoms at all. And in some cases it might be very mild symptoms such as an upset stomach and weight loss. In very rare cases there are severe or strong symptoms such nauseated, stomach pain and vomiting. Even though there are no symptoms, people might experience little weight loss and also pass worms in stool. In that case, we should immediately contact the doctor for professional help.
Ques. Are tapeworms life-threatening? (2 marks)
Ans. Usually tapeworms in the human body aren't that harmful and can be treated easily through prescribed medications. As taeniasis do not have any symptoms most of the times, the person might neglect it and do not treat it in the required time which causes the tapeworms to create a blockage in the intestine and also get spreaded in different areas of the body such as brain, eyes and heart. This disease is known as Cysticercosis and it is indeed life-threatening.
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