Taenia saginata

Taenia saginata
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Platyhelminthes
Class	Cestoda
Order	Cyclophyllidea
Family	Taeniidae
Genus	Taenia
Species	T. saginata

Taenia saginata
Hubert Ludwig, Wikimedia Commons

Also known as: Cysticercus bovis — Beef tape worm — Beef measles

Hosts

Definitive host: Man.

Intermediate host: Cattle.

Identification

The adult is only found in humans, and is normally 5m in length, but may grow up to 3 times the length. The body is white and has a prominent anterior scolex, but no hooks.

The Proglottid has a thick outer shell, containing several hundred thousand eggs.

Life Cycle

Eggs are past by the host, and survive on the pasture. The oncosphere is then ingested by the intermediate host, the cow in this case. These infect the striated muscle, which are visible as cysts. Humans become infected by ingestion of poorly cooked meat.

Taenia saginata Learning Resources
Videos Selection of relevant videos	Taenia saginata cysts in a calf liver potcast Bovine Tongue with Taenia saginata
Literature Search Search for recent publications via CAB Abstract (CABI log in required)	Taenia saginata publications since 2000

References

Taylor, M.A, Coop, R.L., Wall,R.L. (2007) Veterinary Parasitology Blackwell Publishing

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