Tag: protozoa: benefits and harmful effects

If a human gets infected with tapeworm, it's faeces contains tapeworm eggs. If such infected human faeces are consumed by pigs, then they too get infected with tapeworm infection.

The definitive host for both lifecycles is humans, but the intermediate hosts are different for each species. A cow is the primary intermediate host for Taenia saginata and a pig is the primary intermediate host for Taenia solium.

Taenia solium also known as tapeworm is a pathogen that causes taeniasis. It enters the human body due to consumption of uncooked pork hence also known as pork worm. Thus, the correct answer is option A.

The pigs are the intermediate host for Taenia solium they are affected by the ingestion of the eggs. The eggs enter the intestine and penetrate the epithelial and reach the muscles. In muscles, they develop an infection known as Cysticercosis. The humans are affected by eating infected pigs. 

Taeniasis is an infection by the tapeworm, Taenia solium. It is caused by eating undercooked pork or contaminated food that contains tapeworm eggs or larvae which grow in the intestines when eaten. Praziquantel is the medication used to treat taeniasis because it is an antiworm medicine which prevents the growth and multiplication of worms inside the body. It increases the permeability of the membrane to calcium ions which induces contraction of the parasites, resulting in paralysis in the contracted state.