Hello, welcome to this blog on Life cycle of Tapeworm.
Table Of Contents
- Meaning Of Tapeworm
- Life cycle of Tapeworm
- Economic importance of tapeworm on man
- Control of tapeworm
- Revision Questions
Meaning Of Tapeworm (Taenia solium)
Tapeworm is a long endoparasite flatworm with a very small head, neck and long segmented body. It’s belongs to the group called platyhelminthes. Taenia solium is found in pigs while Taenia saginata is found in cattle. The head, also known as scolex has suckers and hooks with which it holds firmly to the intestine wall or its primary host (man). Pig is the secondary host. The body segment known as proglottides are arranged in Long row formed from the neck. At the neck region, the proglottides are small and young while those far from the neck are the largest and the oldest.
Life cycle of Tapeworm
Tapeworm Is a hermaphrodite, that is, it has both male and female reproductive organs and as such, it can fertilize itself.
When a mature and fertilize proglottide pull off the body of the adult tapeworm, it drops or passes out with the faeces of man to the ground from where pigs can pick it up during feeding.
It eventually gets to the intestine of the pig where an enzyme acts on the egg and liberates the embryo which can find it’s way into the blood stream by passing through the intestinal wall and is finally deposited in the muscle or heart of the pig.
Each embryo forms a cyst round itself to become bladderworm with the head turned inside out, so that sucker lies on the inside. When raw or under-cooked pork of beef containing the bladderworm is eaten, the digestive enzymes of Man dissolve the bladderworm and the young tapeworm with its head turned inside out emerges.
Economic importance of Tapeworm on Man
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Anaemia
- Weakness
- Indigestion and vomiting
The combine effect of these symptoms are called Taeniasis.
Control of Tapeworm
- All meat should be examined for bladder worm before selling to the public.
- Meat should be properly cooked before eating.
- Practice good sanitary measures so that it will not be possible for animals to come in contact with or eat human faeces.
- Infected people should be treated by regular deworming.
Revision Questions
- Briefly explain the meaning of tapeworm
- State the life cycle of tapeworm
- What are the economic importance of tapeworm on man?
- List the control of tapeworm.
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