Tapeworm is often found in the intestine of animals and humans can get tapeworm infection by ingesting food that contains the tapeworm. Eating contaminated food and raw meat of infected animals is the main cause of getting this infection. Tapeworm can be ingested in the form of eggs or larvae and they are capable of causing invasive infection affecting tissues and organs and intestinal infections affecting your intestine.
Tapeworm has 3 main parts namely a head, a neck and a series of segmants or proglottids. An adult tapeworm can live in the body of the host for 30 years or even more. Tapeworm infections are not much serious normally but in rare cases it can be serious.
Tapeworm Infection Causes :
Tapeworm infection can be accidentally ingested in the form of eggs or larvae.
- In the form of Eggs :
Soil can get contaminated with the feces of infected animals like pigs and cattle and when a person gets in contact with the soil he can get tapeworm infection. The contaminated soil particles can mix with food or water particles which can be ingested by man. These eggs will enter into your body and grow into larvae and then into an adult.
- In the form of Larvae :
This kind of infection largely occurs when you eat undercooked meat of infected animals. The larvae cyst of tapeworm is found in the muscle tissue of animals which then enters into the body to grow into an adult.
An adult tapeworm can grow up to 15 meters long and they get attached into the walls of the intestine with their head to produce subsequent eggs and larvae which are released through the feces. When an infected person prepares your food without washing his hands properly (after using toilet) the food gets contaminated.
Symptoms :