At the moment, bull tapeworm, the development cycle of which takes about 20 years, is considered the most dangerous (and largest) parasite that can attack the human body. Its size sometimes reaches 10 meters, which is already critical for a living creature. The main area of residence of the helminth is the small intestine. An adult worm has special suction cups that allow it to stay in the body. The cycle of development of the bullish chain shows the diagram below. The disease caused by tapeworm is called teniarchinosis. The tapeworm is widespread in Africa, Eastern Europe (in particular, in Russia), Latin America and the Philippines.
From the organism of the final host, tapeworm can leave with feces, while for some time it can exist in "street" conditions, crawling along the soil.
What is bullish tapeworm?
An adult tapeworm has a minimum size of 4 meters. The body of the tapeworm consists of segments, the number of which reaches several thousand. Bovine tapeworm eggs (photo is schematically shown below), laid in the body, can go out with bowel movements. Every year the worm lays them in the amount of more than 600 million. Over the whole life, this figure rises to 11 billion. Strobiles are disconnected from the tapeworm. Their task is to spread eggs in the environment. As a result, they enter the body of cattle (he is the intermediate owner of the worm), and with poorly processed meat passes to carnivores (including humans). In the body of the main host, without treatment, he is able to live 18-20 years. In this case, the carrier of helminth in the initial stages of the disease may not even understand that he is ill with something. For people around, people are not contagious.
The structure of the bull tapeworm
The structure of the bovine tapeworm: head, neck and joints. By sex, helminth is a hermaphrodite, which facilitates its reproduction. The larva of a bovine tapeworm is in the uterus of this creature. Here you can find many not liberated oncospheres. The head of the body is equipped with suction cups that hold the helminth in the intestines of the host.
Worm development
The main owner of a bull tapeworm, as already mentioned, is a person or any predatory animal. An intermediate carrier may be a cow, deer, zebra, yak, bison, etc., that is, any representative of the artiodactyl order. The worm enters the human body in a mature form and is quite capable of reproduction. The joints can exit the anus and move independently.
Cattle can infect a worm in the process of eating grass (if there were larvae in it or on the soil). In the muscle tissue, small representatives of the helminth develop - Finns. They enter the body of carnivorous mammals and humans by eating raw, dried, poorly cooked or cooked meat. The developmental scheme of bovine tapeworm perfectly demonstrates all the described pathways of infection.
Worm transmission is also possible through fleas that may contain larvae.
The effect of tapeworm on the human body
At least bovine tapeworm can have a strong effect on the gastrointestinal tract, which can cause an allergic reaction. The worm absorbs all the nutrients from the body, literally sucking them out. Of course, the most anticipated process will be intestinal inflammation or even obstruction (found in the late stages of the disease), which leads to death. Often there is pain similar to sensations with appendicitis. And, of course, mechanical action is inevitable. Because of all this, the secretory and motor function of the digestive tract is impaired.
Complications are rare. The most common is bowel obstruction. Also, tapeworm (the development cycle will be discussed in more detail below) is able to penetrate into the abdominal cavity and into the vagina. Side effects such as pancreatitis, problems with the nasopharynx, appendicitis, peritonitis may occur.
Life cycle
Eggs in large numbers in the grass enter the body of the animal. The life cycle begins when the outer shell opens and the oncospheres exit from it. Their sizes are small - less than a millimeter. Larvae are able to survive the entire winter period, they are resistant to sudden changes in temperature, humidity and dryness. Very tenacious bull tapeworm. The development cycle of the Finns is only six months (sometimes less). Forming, individuals pass into the various organs in the livestock body, spread through the intestines. In the intermediate host, they are able to live no more than a year, after which they die. If the meat of an infected cow is eaten by a person (or another carnivore), the worm continues to form into an adult. In order for this process to be most successful, the helminth settles in the intestine. After the eggs are isolated, the life cycle repeats.
Treatment and diagnosis
The stages of development of bovine tapeworm in the human body we have already briefly examined. At first, the parasite does not bring discomfort, and the patient does not even suspect its existence. That is why a person can learn about his living in the body only after analysis of feces. The most difficult process is determining what kind of given parasitic object is pork or bovine. These chains are similar in appearance, the symptoms are practically the same, but the treatment process in each case is different. The last and actual diagnosis is made after several analyzes of feces and a number of other examinations; treatment is prescribed immediately.
If you use drugs in the initial stage of the development of the disease, there is a huge chance for a full recovery. In order to get rid of the parasite (invasion), the so-called etiotropic therapy is prescribed. It acts on the cause of the disease and eliminates it. Doctors often use Praziquantel as their main drug. Special medicines may be prescribed to improve the condition of the intestinal tract.
Process symptoms
The bovine chain, the development cycle of which has already been described, causes the disease teniarchinosis. It is divided into two stages: early and late. The second is considered the most dangerous, since the disease begins to be chronic, and it is almost impossible to cure. Since the symptoms at the initial development are almost absent, many learn about the disease much later. The following symptoms will help in the symptomatology:
- weakness, malaise, drowsiness, fatigue, "fragile" sleep, etc.
- nausea with vomiting, heartburn and digestive disorders appear, manifested in constipation or diarrhea;
- severe abdominal pain and a sharp change in appetite.
Preventative measures
The development cycle of the bovine tapeworm, the scheme of which is available in the article, implies that the parasite eventually turns into an adult individual of a sufficiently large size. Therefore, the treatment may cause the problem of incomplete removal of the parasite. In order to avoid a relapse of the disease, appropriate tests should be taken every six months.
Livestock feed should be purchased from trusted suppliers, as it may be infected with worm eggs. It is the entry into the body of an intermediate host that can cause the development of larvae. A cow should not be allowed to eat grass of unknown origin on suspicious lawns.
And people should only eat meat that has undergone sufficient heat treatment.