How do tapeworms reproduce

Where does it live? Kristen: It does. Yes, the end of the life cycle for that parasite is in the human intestine, and from there it just grows and grows. For example, the fish tapeworm, it can grow up to 30 feet. Interviewer: And then if it does that for a decade undetected, then it just finally goes through its life cycle? Kristen: When you start passing segments of the tapeworm, that's when you know that you have a parasite, typically. Kristen: There are some other symptoms like abdominal pain, weight loss.

You can get anemic because that parasite is taking the nutrients from your intestines, so you can become anemic and have some vitamin deficiencies.

But what that really presents like is you're tired, you're lethargic. That can mean a lot of different things to a doctor and so as they're trying to figure out maybe what you have, the parasite continues to grow undetected.

Interviewer: So then what do doctors start doing, because what you described as symptoms, you described tired. Who isn't? Who doesn't feel tired or run down? How do they even start to unravel that that's what it is? Kristen: Usually, it's when the human passes a segment of that parasite or of that tapeworm. That's when they have the "ah-ha" moment, or if you're a really big sushi enthusiast, and you're eating a ton of raw fish and you tell your doctor that, he might start doing some testing for a tapeworm.

Interviewer: Okay. So then the doctor would take some sort of a stool sample, send it to you at ARUP Laboratories, and then how do you determine if somebody has a tapeworm?

Is there some sort of a test or do you just put it under a microscope and start looking for them? Kristen: Yes. We do some processing to that stool specimen, concentrate it so we can see as many parasites as possible if they're there, and then we look at it under a microscope. A very highly-trained person sits at a microscope and looks for what we call "eggs" or "ova" that are passed by these tapeworms in the stool.

So then you see that and you let the doctor know, "Well, your patient has a tapeworm. However, if it is diagnosed and treated within a reasonable timeframe, your cat will recover and be completely fine within a few days. Sometimes, a second dose is needed to kill any remaining adults, but that is done on a case by case basis.

How Do Cats Get Tapeworms? So, how do cats get tapeworms? Laura Bethany T May 20th, About the Author: Laura Bethany. Related Posts. How to Get Rid of Fleas on Cats. June 13th, If you ingest certain tapeworm eggs, they can migrate outside your intestines and form larval cysts in body tissues and organs invasive infection.

Tapeworms have no digestive tract so they must eat food already digested by another animal. That is precisely what they do as a parasite inside our intestines. Tapeworms absorb nutrients directly across their skin cuticle. They also reproduce inside us. Tapeworms have many adaptations such as strong suckers and hooks for attachment to the lining of the small intestine.

Tapeworms are thin and flattened and have a very large surface area for absorption of nutrients. After sedating the man, a team of physicians at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences Hospital in New Delhi was able to extract the worm by pulling it through his mouth with a pair of forceps. When removed, the tapeworm measured 6. Once inside the body, the tapeworm head attaches to the inner wall of the intestines and feeds off the food being digested. Clinical diagnosis is usually made by observing the white, mobile tapeworm segments in the feces or crawling around the anus.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Bennett JE, et al. Tapeworms Cestodes. Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed Sept. Ferri FF. Tapeworm infestation. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Leder K, et al. Intestinal tapeworms. Goldman L, et al. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Parasites and foodborne illness.