What is Taenia solium?
What is Taenia solium?
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Taenia solium is the pork tapeworm, a parasitic flatworm (helminth) that infects both humans and pigs. Type of organism: Parasitic cestode (tapeworm) Hosts: Definitive host: Humans (adult worm lives in the small intestine) Intermediate host: Pigs (larval cysts in muscles) — but humans can also becomRead more
Taenia solium is the pork tapeworm, a parasitic flatworm (helminth) that infects both humans and pigs.
- Taeniasis – infection with the adult worm, usually mild, from eating undercooked pork containing larval cysts.
- Cysticercosis – infection with larval cysts in tissues after ingesting eggs, which can lead to neurocysticercosis when the brain is affected, causing seizures and other neurological problems.
See lessType of organism: Parasitic cestode (tapeworm)
Hosts:
Definitive host: Humans (adult worm lives in the small intestine)
Intermediate host: Pigs (larval cysts in muscles) — but humans can also become accidental intermediate hosts.
Diseases caused:
Transmission:
Eating undercooked or raw pork containing cysticerci (larvae).
Consuming food or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs from human feces.
Significance: Recognized by the WHO as a major cause of preventable epilepsy worldwide, especially in parts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia.