Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm)

 Tinea saginata

Tinea saginata is known as beef tape worm or unarmed tapeworm.

It is world wide in destribution.

T. saginata causes disease taeniasis.

The infection occurs by eating row or insufficiently cooked beef.

Morphology

Adult worm 5 to 10 meters in length.

It is semi-transparent.

It measures 1-2 mm in diameters. The neck is long and narrow about 0.5 mm in width.

Sources and mode of Transmission

Infection is transmitted by ingestion of undercooked beef containing infected larvae. It consist three part;

1. Scolex

2. Neck

3. Proglottids or segment

Pathogenesis and clinical significance

Pathogen enters in human gut through ingestion of uncooked beef and enter in small intestine cause;

Abdominal pain

Diarrhoea

Chronic indigestion

Life cycle

Intermediate host of parasite are cows and buffaloes.

Definitive host is human.

Person get infected by ingestion of undercooked beef containing infected larvae enter human small intestine and larvae converted into adult worm.

Adult worm has series of segmented called proglottids.

Each proglottids contain both male and female organs.

Fertilized proglottids contain egg are passout in Faeces.

Eggs contaminate soil and vegetation, animals; cow and buffaloes consume these egg. Egg in intestine develop into larvae.

These larva penetrate stomach wall and enter in circulation and inter skeletal muscle of animal.

They are grow and developed into skeletal muscle which is consumed by human improperly cooked beef and cycle will repeated.

1. Man infected by ingestion uncooked meat or beef contaminated with egg, embryo or larvae.

2. Embryo become adult male and female worm in human intestine.

3. Fertilized female worm released egg which pass through stool.

4. Cattles feed on infected grass containing infected stool.

5. Egg reaches intestine of cattle and develop into larvae, penetrates stomach wall and enter circulation.

6. Larva enter in blood and reach skeletal muscles of cattle.

7. In cattle muscle larvae grow and develop mature.

Laboratory Diagnosis

Specimen collection

Stool sample 

Microscopic examination

Stool observed proglottids and identify.

Treatment

Mebendazole, Praziquantel and Niclosamide are effective drug for treatment.