Tapeworm

A simple question came across my mind that I asked myself today was how do you get a tapeworm inside of you?

After doing a little research the answer is about as simple as the question.

First off lets start with the most common types of tapeworm:

• Pork tapeworm (Taenia solium)
• Beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata)
• Dwarf tapeworm (Hymenolepis nana)
• Fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum)

Adult tapeworms can measure up to 50 feet long and can survive as long as 20 years in a host.

There are two main ways get infected with a tapeworm

Ingestion of a food or water that have been contaminated with feces from a person or animal with tapeworm. Even if manure or water used to fertilize or hydrate crops is infected with tapeworm eggs it can be passed to the crop.

You also can get it from eating raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal, you ingest larvae that have embedded themselves into the tissue, which then develop into adult tapeworms in your intestines.

So there you have it, a question I asked myself today and was not 100% sure how it exactly happened is now answered for anyone else curious or interested.