Bull tapeworm (tapeworm, Taenia saginata) is a flatworm of the tapeworm class , which reaches a length of 5 to 12 meters; larger individuals are also found.
Content
How does bovine tapeworm develop?
The worm has four well-developed suckers and consists of segments. Hermaphroditic segments (proglotids) have well-developed male and female reproductive systems. Therefore, the eggs are fertilized inside one worm. The eggs are oval or spherical in shape with a diameter of 28-44 microns.
Inside the egg there is a six-hooked embryo - the oncosphere.
The only definitive host (an organism in which the worm can develop from an egg into a sexually mature individual) of the tapeworm is humans. The worm parasitizes the small intestine.
Routes of infection
When the tapeworm reaches a length of 5-7 meters, its segments located at the end begin to come off. After this, they crawl out through the anus with feces or on their own. 6-8 proglotids are released per day, each of which contains up to 175 thousand eggs. The eggs fall into the soil.
The intermediate host is cattle (bulls, cows, buffalos, yaks, reindeer). Cattle become infected by eggs on pastures. In the intestines of animals, the shells of the eggs dissolve, the oncospheres pass through the intestinal walls with the help of hooks and are carried throughout the body with the blood.
In most animals they settle in the connective tissue of the muscles, in reindeer - in the brain, where after 4-5 months they turn into fins (cysticerci).
Cysticerci are vesicles with a clear liquid, inside of which the head of a chain tapeworm with a neck is located. In the intermediate host they live for 8-9 months and die.
They enter the human body through consumption of insufficiently thermally processed cattle meat.
Once in the human body, cysticerci pass unharmed through the stomach into the duodenum. There the head is freed from the vesicle, attached with suction cups to the mucous membrane of the duodenum, and the body of the worm begins to grow from the neck.
The worm grows 7-10 cm per day. The release of mature segments begins 2-4 months after infection. The lifespan of the parasite reaches 20 years.
The bovine tapeworm, as a rule, parasitizes alone in the human intestine. Hence its second name – “solitaire”, which means “lonely” in French.
Teniarinhoz
Adults are more often affected by this type of helminthiasis, and rural residents are infected more often than in cities. Among the sick, workers of livestock farms, meat processing plants, and housewives predominate, becoming infected in the process of preparing food from minced meat and raw meat.
Animals become infected by ingesting segments or oncospheres with grass, hay, or water. Bovine tapeworm eggs remain viable in the external environment for a long time. In hay at temperatures from 10 to 30ºС they live up to 21 days, in water - 33 days, in liquid manure - 70 days, on grass - more than 150 days.
Health effects
Deterioration in health is due to the following factors:
- the suckers and body of the bovine tapeworm damage the intestinal mucosa,
- the worm irritates the intestinal receptors and disrupts motility,
- suppresses the secretory function of the gastrointestinal tract,
- inflammation of the small intestine develops,
- the passage of the proglotid through the bauhinian valve causes pain similar to an attack of appendicitis,
- segments of the worm can penetrate into the appendix (appendicitis) and cause inflammation,
- it is possible to develop intestinal obstruction due to blockage of the intestine by a parasite,
- sometimes the parasite penetrates the biliary tract and pancreatic duct, causing their obstruction,
- the parasite intensively consumes nutrients and valuable microelements do not enter the human body,
- metabolic products secreted by the tapeworm have a depressing effect on the immune system and cause allergies,
- The segments constantly crawling out of the anus move across the skin and have a depressing effect on the patient’s psyche.
Signs of bovine tapeworm infection
Often, immediately after infection and until the parasite fully develops, the disease is asymptomatic. And only after the bovine tapeworm reaches sexual maturity and the release of its segments begins (after 2-4 months) does the patient begin to feel unwell.
Worm parasitism in the intestines is manifested by symptoms such as:
- general weakness,
- dizziness,
- nausea,
- vomit,
- diarrhea (diarrhea),
- cramping pain in the abdomen,
- feeling of stirring in the stomach.
With the further course of the disease, it is possible to develop
- cholecystitis,
- pancreatitis,
- anemia.
Symptoms of infection in children
In children, teniarhynchosis is more severe than in adults.
The disease is accompanied
- weakness,
- increased fatigue,
- unstable stools (constipation gives way to diarrhea),
- flatulence,
- lack of appetite.
Intermittent cramping pain in different parts of the abdomen is often observed:
- near the navel,
- along the small intestine,
- in the epigastric region,
- in the projection of the duodenum, gall bladder,
- in the area of the appendix.
Children often exhibit asthenoneurotic symptoms:
- increased irritability,
- headache,
- sleep disorders,
- fainting.
The blood test in most patients is within normal limits.
Diagnostics
The method of scatological analysis (stool analysis) for worm eggs, which is effective for most helminthiases, does not detect tapeworm eggs. This happens because the segments emerge from the anus and only secrete eggs from the outside.
Eggs can sometimes be discovered accidentally when segments inside the intestine rupture.
Therefore, a diagnostic sign is the identification of segments, which can be seen visually. In addition, the segments lay eggs on the skin folds of the anus, so anal scraping with a wooden spatula is used, as with enterobiasis.
The eggs of bovine tapeworms are distinguished from the eggs of other worms visually, by differences in structure.
Often the worm is detected during endoscopic examination.
How to get rid of tapeworm?
Treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis. Children under 3 years of age should be treated in a hospital.
Recommended drugs are niclosamide or praziquantel , which are taken once.
To increase the effectiveness of the medication, you must follow a number of rules:
- on the eve of treatment, take easily digestible food (broth, puree, jelly, kefir, ground meat),
- on the day of treatment, immediately before taking the drug, take 1-2 g of baking soda, grind niclosamide tablets into powder, stir in 1/3 glass of warm water and drink in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening 2 hours after a light dinner of liquid, low-fat food,
- praziquantel is taken with food, without chewing, with a small amount of water (contraindicated in children under 4 years of age, pregnant and breastfeeding women).
When taking these drugs, partial or complete destruction of the helminth occurs.
Getting rid of tapeworm using pumpkin seeds
If there are contraindications to the use of medications, you can use pumpkin seeds.
For treatment, seeds that are dried without heating should be used.
Their activity is inferior to tablets, but the seeds do not have a toxic effect and do not cause side effects.
2 days before starting to take pumpkin seeds, the patient is given an enema daily, and on the evening before treatment, a saline laxative is given.
On the day of treatment, an enema is given on an empty stomach, regardless of the presence of stool.
There are two ways to treat with pumpkin seeds.
1 way.
- Raw and air-dried pumpkin seeds are peeled to remove their hard shells, leaving their green inner shell intact.
- For adults, 300 g of peeled seeds are ground in small portions in a mortar or mixer. After the last portion, the mortar is washed with 50-60 ml of water and poured into a plate with ground seeds. You can add 50-100 g of honey or jam and mix thoroughly.
- The resulting mixture should be taken on an empty stomach in small portions over an hour, while lying in bed.
- After 3 hours, the patient is given a laxative, then after half an hour an enema is given, regardless of the presence of stool.
- Eating is allowed after stool caused by an enema and laxative.
Children are prescribed pumpkin seeds at one time in the following doses:
- 3-4 years - 7 g,
- 5-7 years - 100 g,
- 8-10 years - 150 g,
- 11-15 years - 200-250 g.
Method 2.
- Unpeeled pumpkin seeds are ground together with the peel in a meat grinder, mortar or mixer, poured with double the volume of water and evaporated for 2 hours in a water bath over low heat, avoiding boiling.
- Strain the broth through cheesecloth and remove the oil film from its surface.
- The entire dose of the decoction should be taken on an empty stomach within 20-30 minutes.
- 2 hours after administration, drink a saline laxative.
The required number of seeds depends on the age:
- for adults - 500 g,
- for children 10 years old - 300 g,
- 5-7 years - 200 g,
- up to 5 years - 100-150 g.
After the course of treatment and the release of the bovine tapeworm, it is necessary to examine it and make sure that the head (solex) is present. This will indicate the radicality of the treatment.
Prevention
The basic rules that will prevent infection are:
- purchasing meat checked by sanitary and veterinary services,
- avoiding consumption of raw meat,
- sufficient heat treatment of meat,
- Avoid contamination of the external environment with feces.
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