Tapeworms- Uggh. No one wants to think about them, yet a person could be playing host to a nasty tapeworm without even knowing about it. That is, until the tapeworm started to do some serious damage to the body’s organs. If just thinking about tapeworms makes you cringe, then you just may want to know the possible signs and symptoms of having a tapeworm- and even better, learn how to hopefully not get one.
There are 4 common types of tapeworm that love to attack human bodies- the pork tapeworm, beef tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, and fish tapeworm. Obviously, as the name implies, if you eat undercooked or raw animal meats (like beef, pork, or fish), and the animal you are consuming has tapeworm, you could ingest tapeworm larvae into your system. Likewise, say a pig with tapeworm poops into the soil, and you eat, say, potatoes from said soil, you can infect yourself with tapeworm through the transference of eggs in the soil that were formerly well at home in the pig. Or somehow these tapeworm eggs make their way into a water supply, and you go swimming in the nearby ditch. And tapeworm eggs get into your system that way. You get the jist. Tapeworm is contracted by coming in contact with a tapeworm contaminated source, either directly or indirectly.
Adult tapeworms can grow as long as 50 feet, and live up to 20 years in a single host. Usually, a tapeworm will simply attach itself to the intestinal wall, where it enjoys feasting on whatever passes by, happily depositing eggs through the stool of the host. Or, if the tapeworm isn’t happy where it’s at, the tapeworm itself can eventually leave the body by hitching a ride with the host’s daily poop.
Who’s most at risk for tapeworm? Basically, if you have poor hygiene and don’t wash your hands and body frequently, you run a greater risk of transferring contaminated matter into your mouth. If you travel a lot to developing countries with poor sanitation practices or facilities, you bring yourself at higher risk of tapeworm as well. If you work with cattle a lot and don’t wash up properly afterwards (that explains my dad’s need to hose himself off outside before even coming indoors to shower after a long day at the feedlot), particularly if animal waste is present everywhere, then tapeworm may eventually find you as well. And of course, the consumption of undercooked beef, pork, or fish can transfer tapeworm larvae into your body if the animal you are eating was a host to tapeworm as well.
So- tapeworm is basically avoidable. But what if you already have tapeworm? Would you know? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on where the tapeworm is at, and if you notice the symptoms. Intestinal tapeworms often go unnoticed (creepy thought) but can cause some damage. Abdominal pain, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss due to lack of nutrients being absorbed (selfish tapeworm), diarrhea, and nausea are common symptoms of a tapeworm. Some people don’t ever even realize they have a tapeworm at all.
Invasive tapeworms, on the other hand, are serious attackers. They are larvae that have decided the intestinal wall isn’t good enough, and embed themselves in other tissues in the body, forming cysts. When tapeworms become invasive, they can cause serious organ and bodily tissue damage, resulting in more serious and life-threatening symptoms. These include: seizures, fever, bacterial infection, neurological seizures, cystic masses, and allergic reactions to the larvae in the body. Pork tapeworm is most likely to become invasive than the others, with lung and liver tissues being among their favorite areas to reside.
Since many people don’t even realize they have a tapeworm to begin with, the solution often is to do- nothing. Just let the tapeworm get bored of the host and pass on its own. However, since tapeworms can get large enough to impact other organs and can become very serious, antibiotics can be used to kill off tapeworms and eggs and larvae. In the case of serious tapeworms, such as invasive tapeworm, surgery is a common option to treat the cysts in the body and protect or repair other organs.
Prevention is key with tapeworm. While often you can get a tapeworm and not even know it, do you really want to have to wonder if you do? Cook meat properly, make sure your pets are treated for tapeworm if they have it (yes, you can get it from your pets), wash your hands after using the restroom or handling meats or animals with soap and water, and be careful of water that may not be safe for consumption, bathing, or washing in to avoid tapeworm egg transference. If you do get a tapeworm, then there is something that can be done about it, but your best bet is to not get tapeworm in the first place.
Source:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tapeworm/DS00659
