Taenia+saginata

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Platyhelminthes Class: Cestoda Order: Cyclophyllidea Family:Taeniidae Genus: Taenia Species Taenia saginata

History of Discovery Taenia saginata was first distinguished from its close relative Taenia solium in 1782. In 1700,the first report of T. saginata was discovered, but was unable to distinguish the proglottids (segments) of the two tapeworms. Goeze was the first to correctly describe the worm and Leuckart was the first to show experimentally that proglottids of T. saginata fed to calfs developed into cysticerci (larval form of the tapeworm) in the calf's muscles in 1863. Lastly, Oliver was the first to discover that when humans ingested "bladder worms," they developed adult T. saginata.

In general, T. saginata is just a type of tapeworm which "leeches" nutrients off of their hosts. This type of tapeworm resides in badly cooked beef and is a parasite of both cattle and humans. These worms can also be found in places of poor hygiene and where human feces are improperly disposed of, such as bathrooms.

DESCRIPTION These creepy crawlers can grow up to be about 4 to 10 meters long! Just think of having something like that inside you! The body is whitish in color and divided into a scolex (head) with four powerful suckers and an extended body called a strobila. This worm doesn't have a digestive system, mouth or anus, but its expulsion of wastes inside of you isn't that important anyway; it's the effects it has on you that is important. *T. saginata is the largest of the genus Taenia and can also have a lifespan of 25 years in a host's intestine. LIFE CYCLE The infective worm first enters a host through the mouth. In this case,cattle can ingest the infective embryo while grazing. The digestive enzymes will break the shell of the egg, releasing and allowing formation of the zygotes called "oncospheres". These zygotes then penetrate the mucous layer of the digestive tract and enter the circulation of the host. At this stage, the young larval form a pea-sized, fluid filled cyst, also known as “Cysticercus” and these cysts form in the muscular fibers and are sometimes seen in the lungs and liver. From this, us humans can acquire the infective larvae from eating undercooked meat. The digestive enzymes break down the cysticercus and the larval cyst is released. When the cyst is released, the inverted scolex is able to come out and attach to the host’s intestine. Adult tapeworm soon develop, and within three months it can reach up to 5 meters long. SYMPTOMS Having one of these creepy crawlers inside of you is actually not that bad. Most people who have this worm in their intestine won't notice anything different besides the fact that they might find moving feces in the toilet. This movement comes from the small segments of the worm that are excreted along with your waste.However, in some cases, heavy infection may occur; such as weight loss, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, nausea, constipation, and loss of appetite. In very rare cases, this worm can move out of the intestine causing local growths and damaging tissues such as the brain eye or heart. This condition is called cysticercosis. *Blockage of intestine and can also occur in rare cases

(Picture of the segments of worm in feces) PICTURE REMOVED (Graphic Content) *

TREATMENT (Obviously, if there is a symptom section, there would be a treatment section) Tapeworms are treated with medications taken by mouth, usually in a single dose. The preferred drug choice for tapeworm infections is praziquantel, which causes paralysis of the worm, aiding the body in expelling the parasite through pristalsis (contractions of muscles)

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