Tapeworm Symptoms

Tapeworm or the Cestoda are a type of parasitic flatworms that live in the digestive tract of human beings. These parasites may live inside its human host for years and grow as long as 30 feet or more. The common mode of tapeworm infection is through improperly cooked foods or due to consumption of water or foods that already contain the tapeworm eggs or larvae. While in some cases a human being may not be aware of tapeworm infection till he passes the whole organism or its body fragments through stool, in other cases tapeworm symptoms in humans do show up. However, most of these symptoms are often confused as those being caused by other disorders and hence a tapeworm infection may go undetected for long. In certain cases some serious complications may also show up.

Tapeworm Infections in Human Beings

There are several species of tapeworm that can infect human beings. However, there are three most common ones. They are the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), the beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata) and the fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum). Other varieties that infect human beings are the dwarf tapeworm (Hymenolepis nana) and the rodent tapeworm (Hymenolepis diminuta). The symptoms in children, mentally and individuals with physical disabilities is often caused due to infection by the dwarf tapeworm as these are passed on through the stool of infected individuals. Although usual hosts of the rodent tapeworm are the rats, mice and other rodents, this type intestinal parasites in human (the tapeworm) find way into the body of a human being through meal worms or grain beetles that infest our foodstuff.

Human beings can either ingest the eggs that grow into larvae inside the body or consume larvae that invariably grow into adults tapeworms. While adult tapeworms in humans lodge themselves in the intestine and show mild symptoms, the larvae that hatch from the eggs are small enough to travel through bloodstream and reach other tissues. These larvae form cysts in other tissues that may then cause serious complications.

Adult Tapeworm Symptoms

Intestinal parasitic infection of the tapeworm may be asymptomatic, that is there may be no symptoms at all. In certain cases an individual may show the following mild tapeworms symptoms:

• Nausea
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Appearance of the whole organism or segments of its body in one's stool

The last symptom is something that one must be careful about. Just because a segment of the Taenia body is being passed out doesn't mean that the organism is dead. If the head or the scolex remains inside the intestine the organism will grow to its full length and again infect the host. Also since most of the symptoms of tapeworm in the intestine are similar to those caused by other not so serious ailments, tapeworm infection is often overlooked as the cause of the symptoms.

Larval Tapeworm Signs and Symptoms

If one ingests tapeworm eggs and the larvae develop inside the body, these larvae can reach other tissues, form cysts and cause tissue or organ damage. Some of the common symptoms of larval infection are:

• Fever
• Cystic masses or lumps
• Allergic reactions to the larvae
• Coughing
• Jaundice
• Blindness
• Neurological symptoms if the brain is affected

One very important condition that needs mention here is cysticercosis. This is a serious complication of the Taenia solium in which the larva moves outside the intestine. This larvae can develop in various tissues of the body. However, the most serious condition is caused when the larvae lodge themselves in the tissue of the brain. This infection is known as neurocysticercosis. This results in seizures and other neurological problems. Although this condition is pretty uncommon, unhygienic habits of an infected person can transfer this parasite onto a healthy individual.

It is best to start treatment for tapeworms that have moved out of the intestine and invaded other tissues of the body, as soon as possible. There are medicines that work for treatment of tapeworm in human. These drugs include praziquantel (Biltricide) or albendazole (Albenza), as well as niclosamide. However, these are effective only against adult tapeworms. As long as one is under treatment, one should be careful about cleaning his hands properly after toilet and before eating. This is to prevent oneself from getting reinfected with tapeworm eggs. In case cysts have been formed in other tissues of the body anti-inflammatory steroids to reduce swelling. In certain cases, surgical removal of the cyst may be required.

As it is said that a 'penny of caution is worth more than a pound of cure' the best way to avoid infection of these intestinal parasites and be free of the tapeworm symptoms is to maintain hygiene. This is specially important to prevent infection in children.