Better Health & Living
Posts tagged tapeworms
How to Get Rid of Tapeworms
May 3rd
Treatment for tapeworm infections
The antihelminthic drugs such as praziquantel and niclosamide are effective for most intestinal tapeworm infections. Some infections respond to this treatment whereas others like hydatid disease require surgical intervention. Praziquantel is generally well tolerated. The medication causes the tapeworm to dissolve within the intestines. Sometimes more than one treatment is necessary.
Treatment for hydatid disease
Hydatid disease is caused by echinococcus granulosis or hydatid tapeworm. This tapeworm is usually found in the intestine of the dog. The hydatid disease is a potentially fatal and serious disease.The common line of treatment for hydatid disease is surgical intervention. One of the major risk factors that are involved in the surgery for hydatid disease is the danger of the hydatid cyst being ruptured. If this happens then numerous tapeworm heads are released into the blood stream of the affected individual. This may cause anaphylactic shock or a life threatening allergic reaction. To reduce this risk, the doctor may prescribe high doses of the drug albendazole in conjunction with surgery. This drug helps to destroy any remaining tapeworm heads.
Some of the common steps that need to be taken in order to avoid tapeworm infestation are as follows:
- Wash hands thoroughly after going to the toilet.
- Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling any food or meat.
- Always wash your hands properly before eating and drinking.
- Store meat in deep freeze for at least 12 hours before cooking.
- Store fish in deep freeze for at least 24 hours before cooking.
- Cook the meat thoroughly to a temperature more than 57° C or 135° F, especially for certain meats such as pork, beef, lamb and fish.
- Inspect meat properly before eating it.
- Avoid eating any raw or undercooked meat.
- It is important to control tapeworm infection in domestic dogs. Infected dogs usually don’t have any symptoms. Don’t assume that your dog isn’t infected just because it seems happy and healthy.
- One must make sure that there is regular preventive deworming of pets. This is especially important in rural areas where dogs and cats may have access to animal carcasses.
- Take your dog to the vet for diagnosis and treatment for tapeworm infection. Treatment includes regular dosing with anti-tapeworm medicines.
- It is important to dispose dog and cat feces carefully while the pet is undergoing treatment for tapeworm infestation. This can be achieved by using rubber gloves and thoroughly washing and sanitizing your hands after handling dog feces.
- It is also important to maintain the hygiene of the kennel area by thoroughly sanitizing it and keeping it clean.
- If you grow your own vegetables then it is important to make sure that your pet is not allowed access to this area as it may infest the soil through its feces thereby causing human infestation.
- Do not feed your pets with raw undercooked meat.
- Feed your pets with commercially processed pet foods only.
![[backflip]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/backflip.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Newsvine]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/newsvine.png)
![[OnlyWire]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/onlywire.png)
![[Propeller]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/propeller.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Shoutwire]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/shoutwire.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.healthandfitnessweb.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Symptoms of Tapeworm Infections
May 3rd
Tapeworm is a term that is used to describe a group of parasitic worms that live in the intestine of animals as well as humans. Tapeworm infection of the intestine occurs when people eat raw, undercooked meat like beef, pork or even freshwater fish.
Symptoms of tapeworm infestation depend on the affected organ and the species of tapeworm
Many people affected by tapeworm infestations do not show any symptoms. Tapeworms can inhabit the gut of humans without causing any damage. However some species of tapeworms begin to use the nutrition from the human gut in order to thrive. When this happens the affected person becomes deprived of vital nutrients and begins to show signs of anemia and malnutrition. The tapeworm also lodges firmly inside the gut and causes irritation of the gut .In such cases the affected person may often complain of abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and vomiting. The tapeworms may travel through the blood stream and affect other organs producing associated symptoms. The most common organ to be affected is the liver. But the traveling larvae can also affect the kidneys and the brain, thereby producing serious complications. The tapeworm species that is more likely to travel into the blood stream and affect the internal organs is the pork tapeworm.
Some of the common species of tapeworms that produce symptoms in humans are taenia saginata (this is also called as beef tapeworm as it is common in beef), taenia solium (this is also referred to as pork tapeworm as it is common in pork) and diphyllobothrium latum (it is commonly known as fish tapeworm as it is found mainly in fish).One of the dangerous varieties of tapeworm is hydatid tapeworm. It is also referred to as Echinococcus granulosis. This variety of tapeworm is commonly found in the intestine of dogs. Humans get infected when they accidentally come in contact with feces of an infected dog. In such cases they develop hydatid disease. Hydatid disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease.
Common symptoms of tapeworm infestation
Many people affected by tapeworm infestations may not develop any symptoms for a long time. In some cases like the hydatid disease the symptoms may be life threatening or potentially fatal. The symptoms also depend on the affected organ especially when the tapeworm larvae travel through the blood stream and attack the internal organs of the body. Since liver is the organ that is most commonly attacked by the larvae the most common symptoms are bloating of the abdomen and abdominal discomfort. In some rare cases the abdominal larvae can also attack the thyroid gland and develop watery cysts. Some of the common symptoms of tapeworm infestation are as follows:
- Abdominal discomfort
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Stomach upset
- Unexplained weight loss
- Anemia
- Swollen abdomen
- Weakness and fatigue
- Excessive hunger
- Worms in stools
Diagnosis of tapeworm infestation
Diagnosis is mainly based on the examination of the blood and the stools. Other methods used in the diagnosis are medical examination, physical examination, MRI and ultrasound.
Causes of TapeWorm Infections
May 2nd
Tapeworm infection of the intestine occurs when people eat raw, undercooked meat like beef, pork or even freshwater 
fish. Tapeworms belong to a branch of platyhelminths known as the cestodes. They are highly specialized parasites.
Some of the common causes of tapeworm infections in humans are as follows:
1. Taenia saginata or beef tapeworm.
2. Taenia solium or pork tapeworm.
3. Diphyllobothrium latum or fish tapeworm.
4. Hydatid tapeworm or Echinococcus granulosis which is found in dogs.
5. Dwarf tapeworm or hymenolepis nana.
Tapeworm infection in humans can occur after accidental ingestion of tapeworm eggs
The tapeworm eggs are passed through the feces of the human or animal that is infected with tapeworm. If a person accidentally consumes food or drink that is contaminated with infected feces then they ingest microscopic tapeworm eggs. For example, an infected animal like a dog or a pig can pass infected eggs through the feces. The soil becomes contaminated with these feces. If a person consumes any food or drink that comes in contact with such infected soil then the eggs are passed into his body in the form of watery hydatid cysts and he becomes infected with tapeworm. These cysts then break into hundreds of tapeworm heads. The tapeworm heads travel through the blood stream into the intestine. With the help of scolex the head of tapeworm attaches itself firmly into the intestine. Once inside the intestine, the eggs develop into larvae. At this stage, the larvae become mobile. If they migrate out of the intestines, they may travel to other organs like the kidneys and the brain. The organ that is most commonly affected by tapeworm infestation is the liver. Once inside the internal organs they form watery cysts. Taenia solium or pork tapeworm is the tapeworm that most commonly attacks the internal organs. The most dangerous variety of tapeworm is the hydatid tapeworm which is commonly found in the intestine of the dogs.
Tapeworm infection can also occur after ingestion of larvae in undercooked or raw meat
When an animal becomes infected with tapeworm, then the tapeworm larvae are lodged inside its intestine and the muscle tissue. If a person eats undercooked or raw meat of an infected animal such as raw beef, pork or fish then the tapeworm larvae are directly passed into the human body. Once inside the human body the tapeworm larvae travel into the gut through the intestine. Then the life cycle of the tapeworm continues inside the human body as it attaches itself firmly into the intestine with the help of hooks and suckers that are present on the scolex. The body of tapeworm consists of segments which are also called as proglottids. These proglottids are the reproductive organs of the tapeworm. They consist of both male and female reproductive organs.
In some people the tapeworm do not produce any symptoms, whereas in others the tapeworms cause irritation of the intestine and thereby produce symptoms like abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, vomiting and even anemia.
What are Tapeworm Infections
May 1st
Tapeworm is a term that is used to describe a group of parasitic worms that live in the intestine of animals as well as humans. Tapeworms belong to a branch of platyhelminths known as the cestodes. They are highly specialized parasites.
Common species of tapeworms that infect the human intestine
Tapeworm infection of the intestine occurs when people eat raw, undercooked meat like beef, pork or even freshwater fish. Many people affected by tapeworm infestations do not show any symptoms. However, some people may complain of abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and vomiting. Some of the common species of tapeworms that produce symptoms in humans are taenia saginata (this is also called as beef tapeworm as it is common in beef), taenia solium (this is also referred to as pork tapeworm as it is common in pork) and diphyllobothrium latum (it is commonly known as fish tapeworm as it is found mainly in fish).One of the dangerous varieties of tapeworm is hydatid tapeworm. It is also referred to as Echinococcus granulosis. This variety of tapeworm is commonly found in the intestine of dogs. Humans get infected when they accidentally come in contact with faeces of an infected dog. In such cases they develop hydatid disease. Hydatid disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease.
Body of the tapeworm
Tapeworm consists of an anchoring organ which is called as scolex. With the help of this scolex the tapeworm is able to attach itself to the wall of the intestine in humans or in animals. The scolex consists of suckers or hooks which help them to firmly lodge themselves in the intestine. The body of tapeworm consists of segments which are also called as proglottids. These proglottids are the reproductive organs of the tapeworm. They consist of both male and female reproductive organs.
Life cycle of a tapeworm
Tapeworm needs two hosts in order to complete its life cycle- the intermediate host and the definitive host. The intermediate host is commonly found in sheep, pigs, cattle, goats, horses, camels, wallabies and kangaroos. The definitive host is commonly found in dogs and dingoes.
Development of Hydatid disease in humans
Tapeworm infection of the intestine occurs when people eat raw, undercooked meat like beef, pork or even freshwater fish. People usually become infected by accidentally swallowing the tapeworm eggs that are passed through the faeces of the infected dog. A human acts as an intermediate host in the life cycle of the tapeworm.. The eggs travel through the bloodstream and attach themselves in organs with the help of their suckers or hooks that are present on the scolex. Once they are able to firmly lodge in the organs, they form watery cysts. These watery cysts are full of tapeworm heads. This is known as hydatid disease or echinococcosis. Hydatid disease is not contagious and is not passed by person-to-person contact. In hydatid disease the most commonly affected organ is the liver. Other organs like the kidneys and the brain may also be affected.
