Porcine tapeworm is a tapeworm parasite . Another name for this helminth is tapeworm. Its intermediate owners are domestic pigs or wild boars, and finally the parasite settles in the human body and can live there for up to 25 years. Helminth causes dangerous diseases - teniosis or cysticercosis. These pathologies affect not only the digestive tract. Tapeworm larvae can spread throughout the body and cause severe diseases of the central nervous system, eyes or lungs. Infection occurs when eating infected meat or not following hygiene rules. Particularly susceptible to this disease are people living in regions with developed pig farming.
Helminth body structure
Pork tapeworm is a huge tapeworm. Its length can reach 4 meters or more. At one end of the helminth's body is a head. This body is also called scolex. The head is equipped with four suction cups and many hooks, with which the helminth is fixed in the intestine.
The structure of pork tapeworm is segmented. Its long body of white color consists of segments. Their number can reach 1000. This parasite is a hermaphroditic organism, in each caudal segment there are female and male organs (testes and ovaries). Here the process of reproduction takes place, eggs are formed. Inside them is the germ - the oncosphere. Up to 50 million eggs are formed daily. The segments with oncospheres, as they mature, are separated from the body and excreted from the intestines with feces. A photo of pork tapeworm can be seen later in the article.
Life cycle
Eggs with oncospheres leave the intestines of a person with feces. When ingested, they are accidentally swallowed by pigs along with food. The further life cycle of pork tapeworm occurs inside the body of domestic animals. In the stomach of pigs, the egg shell is destroyed. Embryos go out. They are spherical organisms with hooks. With the help of these devices, they spread throughout the body of the animal with blood flow. Oncospheres can get into different organs and tissues, but their main accumulation is noted in muscles.
In the organs and muscles of animals, the development cycle of the pork tapeworm continues. After 60 - 70 days, the oncospheres turn into larvae. They are called cysticerci or Finns. They look like bubbles, inside of which there is a small scolex of the future parasite.
When eating poorly fried or boiled pork, larvae enter the human body. In the small intestine, an adult helminth is formed from the cysticercus. Inside the body, not one worm can live, but several. 60 days after infection, segments with eggs come out with feces. When they enter the body of animals with food, a new life cycle of pork tapeworm begins.
Infection pathways
Usually, a person can become infected by eating poorly processed pork infected with parasite larvae. In this case, a larva enters the body, which grows in the intestine to an adult worm.
If you violate the rules of hygiene, infection from a sick person is also possible. The disease is transmitted through underwear, infected foods, dirty hands, and personal hygiene items. Such infection with pork choke is especially dangerous. In this case, the larvae are formed from eggs inside the body. They can get into different organs, which leads to serious diseases that can end fatally.
The difference between pork and bull tapeworm
Bull tapeworm resembles the structure of a tapeworm, but has a length of up to 10 meters. This is also a tapeworm, consisting of segments and a head. However, pork tapeworm is considered more dangerous. Its head is equipped with hooks that irritate the intestines.
Bovine tapeworm infestation never occurs by swallowing eggs. Only an adult parasite forms in the intestines. Infection of a person with pork tapeworm is also possible through eggs. In this case, the larvae form already in the body, spread with the bloodstream and cause severe organ damage. For this reason, tapeworm is considered a more dangerous helminth than bovine tapeworm.
What diseases does the parasite cause?
With invasion in humans, two forms of the disease can occur:
The type of pathology depends on the method of infection with the pork chain. If helminth larvae enter the human body, then teniosis develops. In this case, adult worms develop in the intestines. If invasion through eggs occurs, then larvae form and spread in the body. Such a disease is called cysticercosis, it is considered more dangerous.
Teniosis develops through infection through meat. Cysticercosis is usually transmitted from a sick person. The patient may also become infected by himself. If a patient with teniosis does not wash his hands well after visiting the toilet, then he can put the joints in his mouth. During vomiting, eggs from the intestines can enter the stomach. In such cases, cysticercosis becomes a complication of teniosis.
A patient with teniosis must carefully observe hygiene to avoid self-infection. Cysticercosis is a more complex disease that is difficult to treat.
Symptoms of Teniosis
With teniosis in the small intestine of a person, an adult helminth parasitizes. This disease is characterized mainly by damage to the digestive tract and poisoning of the body by toxins. The following signs of pork tapeworm occur:
- Stomach ache. The parasite irritates the intestinal mucosa with hooks, which leads to inflammation.
- Dyspeptic manifestations. The patient's appetite worsens, belching and discomfort in the intestine occur after eating. Often, body weight decreases.
- Asthenic and neurotic symptoms. A person becomes lethargic, quickly gets tired, often experiences headaches, dizziness, irritability and nervousness. Such signs are associated with a lack of nutrients that the helminth takes from the body.
- Allergy. Such manifestations arise due to the impact on the body of the worm's vital products.
- The joints in the feces. In the stool, you may notice small stripes of yellowish-white color. They can be mobile. These are worm body segments containing eggs.
The presence of a parasite in the intestine can cause irritation of the pancreas and bile ducts. Teniosis can be complicated by pancreatitis and cholecystitis.
Symptoms of cysticercosis
If helminth eggs have entered the human body and larvae are spreading, then cysticercosis occurs. In this case, adult worms are not detected in the body. This disease has various forms. Symptoms of pork tapeworm in this case depend on the location of the larvae.
The most dangerous form of pathology is cysticercosis of the brain. It occurs in more than half of cases. In the brain tissues, the larvae can live a very long period, more than 15 years. Damage to the central nervous system is characterized by the following symptoms:
- muscle weakness;
- hallucinations, delirium;
- depressive states;
- memory impairment;
- mental disorders.
In advanced forms, cerebral edema occurs, headaches, vomiting, convulsive attacks appear.
If the larvae affect the spinal cord, then squeezing its roots occurs. The following symptoms occur:
- pain in the spine, as well as in the limbs;
- pain of herpes zoster in the chest and abdomen;
- impaired movement (in severe cases of paralysis).
When larvae get into the eyes, parasites accumulate in the sclera, retina and vitreous body. This is manifested in visual impairment, inflammation of the eye tissues and can lead to blindness.
Larvae can enter the lungs. There they grow to 2 cm, are covered with a capsule and squeeze the tissue. The patient has symptoms of pneumonia:
- dyspnea;
- cough;
- difficulty breathing.
However, pulmonary cysticercosis often occurs without a pronounced clinical picture. The disease is often detected by chance during an X-ray examination.
Cysticerci can penetrate the heart. In this case, the symptoms of pork tapeworm in a person are mild, but attacks of arrhythmia are often observed. However, heart damage is very dangerous, as there is a serious malfunction of the myocardium. In severe cases, heart failure is possible.
In very rare cases, the larvae affect the skin and muscles. In the subcutaneous tissue, tubercles appear. They are filled with liquid with a larva. The cysticercus can grow up to 10 cm. This process is accompanied by the appearance of an allergy like hives. But very often there is an asymptomatic course of the disease.
The parasite of pork tapeworm in larval form is especially dangerous for pregnant women. Cysticerci can pass through the placenta and cause impaired fetal development. Very often in this case, the child is born dead or a miscarriage occurs. With cysticercosis in pregnant women in the early stages, doctors often recommend an abortion for medical reasons.
Diagnosis of teniosis
With teniosis, the parasite lives only in the intestine. Therefore, it is usually easier to detect its presence than with cysticercosis. When diagnosing, the following methods are used:
- Fecal analysis. Helps detect segments of parasites.
- Microscopic examination of scraping from the anus. This analysis also reveals the presence of segments.
- Coprogram. Detects the chemical composition of feces, which changes with teniosis.
- General blood test. Patients have signs of inflammation: leukocytosis and increased ESR.
- Serological blood test. Detects the presence of antibodies to porcine tapeworm.
An important role in the diagnosis is the collection of anamnesis. It is necessary to find out whether a person ate poorly processed pork meat. The prevalence of teniosis in this region is also taken into account.
Diagnosis of cysticercosis
Diagnosis of cysticercosis is a more difficult task, since parasites are absent in the intestine. Be sure to conduct a serological blood test for antibodies to parasites. Only this method can objectively indicate infection. An important role is played by the study on eosinophils, an increased number of these blood cells indirectly indicates invasion. The purpose of additional types of analyzes will depend on the location of the larvae:
- With cysticercosis of the brain, it is necessary to differentiate the disease from tumors of the central nervous system, epilepsy and meningitis. Assign a study of cerebrospinal fluid and blood for eosinophils, as well as MRI examination.
- If there is damage to the spinal cord, then it is necessary to do an MRI or CT scan with myelography.
- With cysticercosis of the eyes, an examination of the fundus is carried out, as well as a biopsy study that will help identify larvae.
- In case of lung damage, a blood test for eosinophils and radiography is done.
- If the larvae penetrated the heart, then it is necessary to do an ECG and echocardiography.
- Cysticercosis of the skin and muscles is very difficult to diagnose, usually it is detected only by serological analysis. A thorough examination of the skin and a biopsy of the tubercles are necessary.
Methods for the treatment of teniosis
Treatment of pork tapeworm is carried out only in a hospital setting. Before conducting anthelmintic treatment, the patient is prescribed a diet. The use of fatty, smoked and flour foods is limited. It is forbidden to eat canned food, cheeses, sour cream, onions, garlic and cabbage. These foods can fuel parasites.
Then the patient once takes one of the anthelmintic drugs: Vermox, Fenasal, Biltricid. They paralyze the body of the tapeworm. The parasite detaches from the intestinal wall and goes outside with feces. Treatment is supplemented by the use of laxatives and the appointment of cleansing enemas. B vitamins are also used as injections to compensate for iron deficiency in the body.
After the worm leaves the intestines, its body must be examined. It is important to make sure that the parasite is completely removed, and there are no segments left in the body. For this reason, treatment is carried out only in a hospital setting. Then the patient should visit the doctor for another 4 months and take fecal tests.
Can folk remedies be used to combat teniosis? They should be used only with the consent of the attending physician, as an addition to drug therapy. Anthelmintic properties have fern and pumpkin seeds. However, teniosis cannot be cured at home. Only a doctor can determine that the parasite has completely left the body.
Cysticercosis Treatment Methods
Cysticercosis is a more complex disease and more difficult to treat. Therapy is carried out only in a hospital. Sometimes it is necessary to apply not only medical, but also surgical methods of treatment. Medications are prescribed with great care, since the death of larvae is often accompanied by the release of toxins. This can cause an allergic shock, which often ends fatally. It is important not only to kill the parasites, but also to immediately remove them from the body. The choice of treatment method will depend on the location of the parasites:
- If a small number of larvae are noted in the brain, then they are removed surgically. If there are a lot of cysticerci, then prescribe drugs: "Biltricid" and "Nemozol."
- In case of eye damage, the larvae are also removed by surgery, if surgical intervention is not possible, Biltricid is prescribed.
- Skin cysticercosis is treated only surgically, tubercles with larvae are opened and the parasite is removed.
- With cysticercosis of soft tissues, the patient is under the supervision of doctors. Surgical treatment is used only for manifestations of irritation.
The appointment of anthelmintic drugs for cysticercosis is usually combined with the use of corticosteroids. This helps to reduce the harmful effects of toxins released during the death of the larvae. If epileptic seizures are observed with brain damage, anticonvulsants are prescribed.
Disease prognosis
The prognosis of teniosis is usually favorable. Anthelmintic treatment often leads to the complete elimination of the parasite from the body. With cysticercosis, the prognosis is significantly worsened. Damage to the brain or spinal cord, as well as the eyes and heart, often ends fatally. Death occurs on the background of an epileptic seizure. Only cysticercosis of the skin proceeds relatively favorably, subject to timely treatment.
Cysticercosis of the eyes may result in blindness. Without treatment, impairment of vision progresses steadily and its recovery is not always possible.
Prevention
To avoid infection, it is necessary to carefully heat the pork. In regions with a high prevalence of teniosis and cysticercosis, it is necessary to check the meat for the presence of tapeworm larvae. It is also important to wash your hands to avoid infection from a sick person or yourself.
It is very difficult to completely eliminate human infection in the endemic region. Even the simultaneous treatment of people and animals from teniosis and cysticercosis did not always give positive results.
In recent years, research has been conducted on the development of a vaccine for domestic pigs. Such a vaccination is possible, since antibodies are formed during invasion in the body. This vaccine has now been developed. However, so far it has undergone only experimental tests, in which its effectiveness has been proved. At the moment, it is difficult to say how the vaccine will work in real conditions. However, such a vaccine could be an important measure in the prevention of parasite infection.