Tapeworm Infection Introduction Tapeworm infection is caused by ingesting food or water that is contaminated with tapeworm eggs or larvae. Larvae are newly hatched tapeworms. A tapeworm may attach itself to the wall of your intestine. A tapeworm larva can travel to different parts of your body. It can cause serious complications. This reference summary explains tapeworm infection. It discusses symptoms and causes of an infection, as well as treatment and prevention options. The Digestive System and Tapeworms The digestive system is also known as the gastrointestinal system. Swallowed food passes through the esophagus and stomach, where it is partially digested. Digested food travels from the stomach to the small intestines. Nutrients are absorbed and partially digested. Digested food that has not been absorbed in the small intestines reaches the colon, or the large intestines. In the colon, remaining nutrients are absorbed and stools are formed. If you ingest tapeworm eggs, they develop into adult tapeworms in your intestines. This is called an intestinal infection. An adult tapeworm consists of a head, neck and chain of segments called proglottids. When you have an intestinal tapeworm infection, the tapeworm head attaches to your intestine wall. The proglottids grow and create eggs. Tapeworm 1
Adult tapeworms can live for up to 20 years in a person. Adult tapeworms can measure up to 50 feet, or 15.2 meters, long. If you ingest certain tapeworm eggs, they can spread outside your intestines and form larval cysts in body tissues and organs. This is called an invasive infection. Intestinal tapeworm infections are usually mild. But invasive larval infections can cause serious complications. Symptoms Many people with intestinal tapeworm infection have no symptoms. Symptoms of a tapeworm infection depend on the type of tapeworm you have and its location in your body. Invasive tapeworm infection symptoms vary. Symptoms depend on where the larvae have spread. Signs and symptoms of intestinal infection include: Abdominal pain. Diarrhea. Loss of appetite. Other signs and symptoms of intestinal infection include: Nausea. Unintended weight loss. Weakness. If tapeworm larvae have spread outside of your intestines and formed cysts in other tissues, they can cause organ and tissue damage. This can lead to: Allergic reactions to the larvae. Bacterial infections. Cystic masses or lumps. Fever. Neurological symptoms, including seizures. Talk to your health care provider right away if you have any of the signs or symptoms of tapeworm infection. A serious infection may lead to complications. 2
Digestive blockage is a potential complication. If tapeworms grow large enough, they can block your: Appendix, leading to infection. Bile ducts, which carry bile from your liver and gallbladder to your intestine. Pancreatic duct, which carries digestive fluids from your pancreas to your intestine. Neurocysticercosis is a dangerous complication a tapeworm infection. It is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It can lead to: Dementia. Headaches. Hydrocephalus. Dementia is the name for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain. Memory loss and personality changes are common symptoms of dementia. Hydrocephalus is the buildup of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Normally, this fluid cushions your brain. When you have too much, though, it puts harmful pressure on your brain. The infection can also lead to: Meningitis. Seizures. Visual impairment. Death can happen in severe cases of infection. Meningitis is inflammation of the thin surrounds the brain and spinal cord. tissue that When larvae spread to the liver, lungs or other organs, they become cysts. Over time, these cysts grow. They may grow large enough to crowd parts of the organ or reduce its blood supply. Tapeworm cysts sometimes rupture, releasing more larvae. These can move to other organs and form more cysts. 3
A ruptured or leaking cyst can cause an allergy-like reaction, such as: Breathing problems. Hives. Itching. Swelling. Causes If you eat food or drink water that has come into contact with feces from a person or animal with tapeworms, you may ingest tapeworm eggs. For example, a pig infected with tapeworm will pass tapeworm eggs in its feces. The eggs get into the soil. If this same soil comes in contact with a food or water source, it becomes contaminated. You can then be infected when you eat or drink something from the contaminated source. Once inside your intestines, the eggs develop into larvae. At this stage, the larvae can move around. If they spread out of your intestines, they may form cysts in other tissues. They may form cysts in your: Liver. Lungs. Central nervous system. When an animal has a tapeworm infection, it has tapeworm larvae in its muscle tissue. If you eat raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal, you may ingest living larvae. These can grow into tapeworms inside your body. Some tapeworms attach themselves to the walls of the intestines, where they cause irritation or mild inflammation. Others may pass through to your stool and exit your body. Certain factors that may put you at higher risk for tapeworm infection include: Poor hygiene. Exposure to livestock. Traveling to developing countries. Eating raw or undercooked meats. 4
Not washing and bathing often enough increases the risk of ingesting tapeworm eggs. Not cooking contaminated pork or beef for long enough may fail to kill tapeworm eggs and larvae. Infection happens more often in areas with poor sanitation practices. In certain parts of the world, tapeworm infection is more likely. Your risk of coming into contact with eggs of the pork tapeworm is greater in areas of Latin America, China or Southeast Asia. These are places where free-range pigs are common. Diagnosis Your health care provider will perform a physical exam. He or she will ask you questions about your medical history. To diagnose an intestinal tapeworm infection, your health care provider may do a stool sample analysis. He or she may check your stool or send samples to a laboratory for testing. A laboratory uses a microscope to check for eggs or tapeworm segments in your stool. Because the eggs and segments are not all passed at once, the lab may need to collect 2 to 3 samples over a period of time to detect the parasite. Eggs are sometimes present at the anus. Your health care provider may use a piece of transparent adhesive tape pressed to the anus to collect eggs for analysis. For tissue- that there are tapeworms inside your invasive infections, your health care provider may also test your blood for antibodies your body may have made to fight a tapeworm infection. The presence of these antibodies means body. Certain types of imaging tests may show invasive tapeworm infection. These include: CT scans. MRI scans. X-rays. Ultrasounds. 5
Treatment Some people with tapeworm infections never need treatment. The tapeworm may exit the body on its own. Others don't realize they have it because they have no symptoms. If you're diagnosed with intestinal tapeworm infection, your health care provider will likely prescribe medication to get rid of it. Which medication your health care provider prescribes depends on the species of tapeworm involved and the site of the infection. Some drugs target the adult tapeworm, not the eggs, so it's important to avoid reinfecting yourself. Always wash your hands after using the toilet and before eating. To be certain that your tapeworm infection has cleared, your health care provider will probably have your stool samples checked at certain intervals after you've finished taking your medication. Treating an invasive infection depends on the location and effects of the infection. Certain medications can help shrink some tapeworm cysts. Your health care provider may monitor the cysts using imaging studies such as ultrasound or X-ray to be sure the drug is effective. Dying tapeworm cysts can cause swelling or inflammation in tissues or organs. Your health care provider may recommend anti-inflammatory medications to reduce inflammation. If the disease is causing seizures, anti-epileptic medications may stop them. One type of invasive infection can cause too much fluid in the brain, called hydrocephalus. Your health care provider may recommend placing a permanent shunt, or tube, in your head to drain the fluid. Whether cysts can be removed surgically depends on their location and symptoms. Cysts that develop in the liver, lungs and eyes are typically removed, since they may threaten organ function. 6
Prevention To prevent tapeworm infection, wash your hands with soap and water before eating or handling food. Wash your hands after using the toilet. If you travel to places where tapeworms are more common, wash fruits and vegetables with safe water before you eat. Eliminate livestock exposure to tapeworm eggs. Properly dispose of animal and human feces. Thoroughly cook meat at temperatures of at least 125 F (52 C) to kill tapeworm eggs or larvae. Freeze meat for at least 12 hours and fish for at least 24 hours to kill tapeworm eggs and larvae. Do not eat raw or undercooked pork, beef and fish. Summary If you ingest tapeworm larva, they develop into adult tapeworms in your intestines. This is called an intestinal infection. If you ingest certain tapeworm eggs, they can spread outside your intestines and form larval cysts in body tissues and organs. This is called an invasive infection. Many people with intestinal tapeworm infection have no symptoms. Symptoms of a tapeworm infection depend on the type of tapeworm you have and its location in your body. Invasive tapeworm infection symptoms vary. Symptoms depend on where the larvae have spread. Signs and symptoms of intestinal infection include: Abdominal pain. Diarrhea. Loss of appetite. Nausea. Unintended weight loss. Weakness. 7
If tapeworm larvae have spread outside of your intestines and formed cysts in other tissues, they can cause organ and tissue damage. This can lead to: Allergic reactions to the larvae. Bacterial infections. Cystic masses or lumps. Fever. Neurological symptoms, including seizures. Certain factors that may put you at higher risk for tapeworm infection include: Poor hygiene. Exposure to livestock. Traveling to developing countries. Eating raw or undercooked meats. Some people with tapeworm infections never need treatment. The tapeworm may exit the body on its own. Others don't realize they have it because they have no symptoms. If you're diagnosed with intestinal tapeworm infection, your health care provider will likely prescribe medication to get rid of it. Which medication your health care provider prescribes depends on the species of tapeworm involved and the site of the infection. 8