Pork tapeworm
The pork tapeworm, scientifically known as Taenia solium, is a long, flat parasitic organism that can inhabit the intestinal tract of humans, typically reaching lengths of 6 to 10 feet, though some can grow up to 26 1/3 feet. This tapeworm is transmitted to humans through the consumption of undercooked pork containing live larvae in cyst form. Once ingested, the cysts develop into mature tapeworms inside the human intestine, where they absorb nutrients through their skin, potentially leading to nutritional deficiencies in the host. The pork tapeworm undergoes a lifecycle that begins with eggs released in human waste, which can contaminate pig feed. Without proper sanitation and cooking practices, pork products can harbor these parasites, resulting in infection. Treatment for pork tapeworm infections typically involves medications such as praziquantel or niclosamide. This parasite is more prevalent in areas with inadequate sanitation and is a concern in both developing and developed regions. Understanding the lifecycle and transmission of the pork tapeworm can help in preventing infections and promoting food safety.
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Pork tapeworm
The pork tapeworm and the beef tapeworm are similar. They are long, flat, parasites that live in the intestinal tract of some humans. Like the beef tapeworm, the pork tapeworm reaches its human host by passing through poorly cooked meat from pigs.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Class: Cestoda
Order: Cyclophllidea
Family: Taeniidae
Genus: Taenia
Species: Solium
Like other tapeworms, the pork tapeworm is a very long animal that may reach 26 1/3 feet (8 meters), though most are 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) long. Its body is long, flat, segmented, and bilaterally symmetric. The term bilaterally symmetrical means each side of the pork tapeworm's body is exactly like the other. Humans also have bilateral symmetry. If a human were cut from top to bottom, the two halves would be the same.
The many segments of the pork tapeworm are called proglottids. Each segment is square, flat, and paper-thin. The pork tapeworm also has a distinct, round head. This head, or scolex, is equipped with hooks and suckers which dig into the lining of the intestine, enabling the pork tapeworm to cling to its host. Since the pork tapeworm, like other tapeworms, does not have a mouth or an intestinal system, it feeds through the thin skin of its proglottids. Digestive fluids, which break down cells, move easily into the pork tapeworm's body, giving it the food and nourishment it needs to grow. This takes nourishment away from the host human.
Parasitic worms like the pork tapeworm are common in poorly sanitized places across the world. Many people in the United States become infested with pork tapeworms each year from eating pork that was not thoroughly cooked. The drugs praziquantel or niclosamide kill adult pork tapeworms.
The pork tapeworm begins its life as an egg released into human waste. Through sanitation disposal methods the egg finds its way into the pig's diet. The pig eats the egg, which hatches into a young larval pork tapeworm called cysticerci. The larva pushes through the pig's intestinal wall into blood vessels and muscles.
In the pig's muscles, the larva transforms into a cyst and waits until the pig is butchered and sold to humans as pork. Unless the meat is thoroughly cooked, the pork tapeworm cyst remains alive when eaten by a human as a pork chop, sausage, or other pork product.
Inside the human, the cyst is pushed into the intestine by the human's digestive system. There, the small cyst grows a head and digs its way into the human's intestinal wall. The new pork tapeworm begins to develop proglottids and soak up digestive fluids. In about 2 months, this new pork tapeworm reaches full size and begins releasing eggs.
The life span of the pork tapeworm is 2 to 5 years.
Bibliography
"How to Prevent the Pork Tapeworm? A Neglected Parasitic Infection Caused by Taenia Solium." World Health Organization, 6 July 2022, www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-UCN-NTD-VVE-2021.8. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
Marie, Chelsea, and William A. Petri, Jr. "Taenia Solium (Pork Tapeworm) Infection and Cysticercosis." MSD Manual Professional Version, Nov. 2023, www.msdmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/cestodes-tapeworms/overview-of-tapeworm-infections#Diagnosis‗v1015125. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.