Do you have tapeworms?

Dr Tendai Zuze
YOU have probably heard of tapeworms, which are flat segmented worms that live in the intestines of some animals.
Animals usually become infected with these parasites when grazing in pastures or drinking contaminated water. Eating undercooked meat from infected animals is the main cause of tapeworm infection in humans.

Six types of tapeworms are known to infect people.

The four commonest are:

Beef tapeworms, which usually range between three and four metres, but can grow up to 20 metres long in some cases. They most commonly infect cows and humans, but can only reproduce asexually in human hosts.

Dwarf tapeworms are the smallest kind of tapeworm commonly affecting humans, only a few millimetres long. They live in the intestines of rats and humans.

Pork tapeworms are usually between one and two centimetres long, and inhabit pigs and humans.

Fish tapeworms are the longest tapeworms, averaging about nine metres long, but growing up to 30 metres. They can affect humans, dogs, cats, and a few other animals.

Tapeworms have a three-stage lifecycle: egg; an immature stage called a larva; and an adult stage at which the worm can produce more eggs.

Because larvae can get into the muscles of their hosts, infection can occur when you eat raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal.

Because tapeworm eggs are passed with bowel movements, a person who doesn’t wash hands well after wiping and then prepares food can contaminate the food.

In some cases people are often unaware they have a tapeworm infection for some time.

They may have no symptoms or very few symptoms, which are usually general.

If you are infected with an adult tapeworm, you may see larvae or segments from the tapeworm in your stools.

The segments contain tapeworm eggs.

Depending on the type of tapeworm, other symptoms could include:

Pain above the stomach or in the abdomen.

Nausea or vomiting.

Diarrhoea.

Weight loss

Loss of appetite.

Dizziness.

Insomnia.

Fits.

Malnutrition

Infection with beef or pork tapeworms can cause an increase in appetite.

In rare cases, infection with the fish tapeworm can cause vitamin B12 deficiency, because the worm absorbs this vitamin.

Some types of tapeworm may not develop into the adult form in the intestine.

Instead, their larvae burrow through your intestine wall and enter your bloodstream.

Then they can travel to, and settle in, other places around your body.

The symptoms of a tapeworm larvae infection vary, depending on the type of tapeworm, how severe the infection is and which part of the body is affected. These include;

Discomfort or pain in the abdomen.

Coughing or pain in the lungs caused by an abscess.

Headaches

Fever.

Jaundice

Because there are different types of worms and tapeworms that can infect people, diagnosing a tapeworm infection may require a stool sample to identify the type of worm.

If worms are not detected in the stool, your doctor may order a blood test to check for antibodies produced to fight tapeworm infection.

For serious cases, your doctor may use imaging tests such a CT scan to check for damage outside the digestive tract.

The type and length of treatment will depend on the type of tapeworm you have.

Tapeworms are usually treated with a medicine taken by mouth to kill the worms.

The most commonly used medicines for tapeworms are albendazole and praziquantel.
Medications kill the tapeworms. The dead tapeworms then dissolve or pass from your body with bowel movements.

If worms are large, you may have cramping when they pass.

Your doctor will recheck stool samples at one and three months after you finish treatment.

When tapeworms are confined to the intestines, appropriate treatment gets rid of them in more than 95 percent of people.

To protect yourself from tapeworms, follow the following measures;

Avoid undercooked meat and fish.

Cook meat thoroughly.

Freeze fish for 24 hours before cooking.

Freeze meat for 12 hours before cooking.

Promptly treat tapeworm in pets or livestock.

Wash hands before and after handling meat.

Wash hands before eating.

Wash hands after using the toilet.