What are tapeworms?

Question

do they grow big in youre body does only special people have it im worried my dad was talking about 5 min ago tell me more please!=)


From the scared person=(

Answer 1

They're intestinal parasites.

Answer 2

THE COMMON TAPEWORM (Dipylidium caninum)

Biology of the Parasite

The adult Dipylidium caninum lives in the small intestine of the dog or cat. It is hooked onto the intestinal wall by a structure called a rostellum which is sort of like a hat with hooks on it. The tapeworm also has six rows of teeth to grab on with. Most people are confused about the size of a tapeworm because they only see its segments which are small; the entire tapeworm is usually 6 inches or more.

Once docked like a boat to the host intestinal wall, the tapeworm begins to grow a long tail. (The tapeworm’s body is basically a head segment to hold on with, a neck, and many tail segments). Each segment making up the tail is like a separate independent body, with an independent digestive system and reproductive tract. The tapeworm absorbs nutrients through its skin as the food being digested by the host flows past it. Older segments are pushed toward the tip of the tail as new segments are produced by the neckpiece. By the time a segment has reached the end of the tail, only the reproductive tract is left. When the segment drops off, it is basically just a sac of tapeworm eggs.

Humans as Tapeworm Hosts

Human tapeworm infestations are most common in regions where there is fecal contamination of soil and water and where meat and fish are eaten raw or lightly cooked. In the case of the human tapeworm most common in the United States (the beef tapeworm, Taenia saginata ) the usual intermediate host is a cow, which ingests the proglottid while drinking or grazing. The round-bodied embryos, equipped with sharp hooks, hatch and bore through the cow's intestinal wall into the bloodstream, where they are carried to the muscles. Here each embryo encloses itself in a cyst, or bladder; at this stage it is called a bladder worm. During the bladder worm stage the embryo develops into a miniature scolex; it remains encysted until the muscle is eaten by a primary host, in this case a human. If the scolex has not been killed by sufficient cooking of the meat, it sheds its covering and attaches to the intestinal wall, where it begins producing proglottids.

A human tapeworm common in Mexico, the pork tapeworm ( T. solium ), has a similar life cycle, with a pig as the usual intermediate host. The fish tapeworm, Diphyllobothrium latum, transmitted to humans from fish, especially pike, is common in Asia and in Canada and the northern lake regions of the United States. This tapeworm has a more elaborate life cycle, involving both a fish and a crustacean as intermediate hosts. The dwarf tapeworm, Hymenolepsis nana, is transmitted through fecal contamination and is common in children in the southeastern United States. There are also several tapeworms for whom humans the usual intermediate host; among these, the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosis, spends its adult phase in the intestines of dogs.

Answer 3

Tapeworms are parasites. They do not feed off instead they eat our digested food when they get inside a humans body, which is the host and the tapeworm would be the predator. They absorb it off through their skin or cuticle. They can grow to a large size and take up valueable space. However they are to be found deep in the tissues of your body once they are in and take up individual space in the body. They can appear in several different ways such as in your chair if you have pets.

The head of the tapeworm is refered to the scolex which sucks into the small intestine of the cat or dog. They can squeeze out 6 to 12 eggs which flea larva love eating. Once those eggs hatch, they keep growing into the pets.

Answer 4

Tapeworms are disgusting. This is a very nasty topic. Have you ever seen (or heard of) a cat or dog with worms--often that's the same parasite. Also, hookworms.They're indigenous to most any region. Often, they emerge from the dirt like any other worm. Tapeworms thrive in crap. I knew someone that was infested by tapeworms, her leg looked like an elephant leg. She was kewl, we smoked a lot of pot together. She didn't die; but, elephantitis is the bomb!

Answer 5

they are nasty little parasites that snag your food before your body even has a chance to digest it. the more it eats, the bigger it gets. you could go to your physician and kill it, but if you desperately want to save money and/or are afraid of the doctor, this is your only option. there IS a home remedy, well lets just say it's disturbing, at most. you take off you pants and sit on raw meat to coax it out.

Answer 6

tapeworms live in the instional tract and they can grow to be very big, and if you are not treated for them then they can cause you a lot of health problems.

Answer 7

Tapeworms is a parasite that eat the food in your stomach. You can only get it by walking barefoot outside. they start out about .5 cm. You can get it surgically removed.

Answer 8

People can get tape worms in their digestive tract from contaminated water or food. They are very uncommon in America and Europe, but are far more common in underdeveloped countries.

Answer 9

don't be alarmed! tape worm usually in caused by eating an animal that had tapeworm themselves. but, anyone (well, maybe not vegetarians) can get it. symptoms usually include an enormous appetite, but no weight gain. but, as I said, it's somewhat rare for anyone today to get it.

Answer 10

tapeworms are parasites that grow in your digestive tract. dont worry you dont have a tapeworm!

Answer 11

Actually they're dweebs with a compulsion to record everything in sight then circulate among dweebs like themselves. If they palpatitate over a particular word or phrase it really goes platinum album.