Tapeworm infection refers to a condition where a type of worm, called a tapeworm, lives inside the human body and causes health problems. These worms can enter the body through contaminated food or water, and once inside, they attach themselves to the intestines. This can lead to symptoms like stomach pain, weight loss, and sometimes even nutritional deficiencies. Treatment is necessary to get rid of these worms and prevent further complications.
Full definition
Identifying the symptoms and signs of
Tapeworm Infection in dogs is the first step to knowing if your dog requires medical attention.
Prevention
of tapeworm infection in humans involves avoiding uncooked or partially cooked meat or meat by - products.
Because the medication which
treats tapeworm infection is so effective, return of the tapeworms is almost always due to reinfection from the environment.
In addition, your Veterinarian has several medications that are important for killing adult fleas quickly and for
preventing tapeworm infections which your pet can acquire by eating a flea.
A dog should be treated
for tapeworm infection when eggs or egg packets are detected in its fecal sample or when worm segments are detected around its perianal area.
Flea bites cause excessive itching and increase the pet's susceptibility to diseases such
as tapeworm infections, hookworms and roundworms.
The most common route of
tapeworm infection occurs when the cat swallows a flea that is carrying the parasite's eggs, but infection from mice carrying the tapeworm's egg is also possible.
It's unclear how common this type of tapeworm cancer illness is in humans, but experts like Pritt believe it's likely that there are more cases out there: «H. nana is a very
common tapeworm infection in humans, and therefore I would expect there to be other cases like the one described... that were misdiagnosed or went undetected.»
Mild tapeworm infections usually do not cause serious illness, but heavy infections can cause vomiting, constipation or diarrhea.
Since tapeworm medication is so effective,
recurrent tapeworm infections are almost always due to reinfection from fleas and not failure of the deworming product.
Severe flea infestations can produce blood disorders, especially in puppies or older dogs with other health conditions, and ingested fleas can even cause
intestinal tapeworm infections.
The best way to prevent or
eliminate tapeworm infection in companion dogs is to follow a regular de-worming program using products recommended by the dog's veterinarian.
Sentinel Spectrum is indicated for the prevention of heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis, for the prevention and control of flea populations, and for the treatment and control of adult roundworm, adult hookworm, adult whipworm, and
adult tapeworm infections in dogs and puppies two pounds of body weight or greater and six weeks of age and older.
A healthy animal with a
moderate tapeworm infection may show no outward signs, but heavy or chronic infections can lead to a dull coat, decreased appetite, and weight loss.
Prevention of tapeworm is only possible through the regular use of a flea preventative product, as fleas carry and
spread tapeworm infections.
Horses may
harbor tapeworm infections without showing signs of discomfort; however, the parasite can cause colic — from mild to severe colic episodes requiring surgical treatment.11
If you're not really concerned about whipworm, roundworm, or hookworm infestation in your pooch, but are generally concerned about Dipylidium caninum and Echinococcus granulosus infections as well as
other tapeworm infections, then you'll find confidence in Bayer's Tapeworm Dewormer.
Tapeworm infection from eating contaminated pork can damage the brain, causing learning impairments and possibly enforcing cycles of poverty.
For tapeworm infections, since these are mostly carried by fleas, protecting your dog with regular effective flea treatments should help in the prevention of such infections.
Following treatment, all patients either expelled the tapeworms entirely, in pieces or had no further evidence of
tapeworm infection.
His X-rays revealed a textbook case of Echinococcus granulosus, or dog
tapeworm infection.
Drugs that treat
tapeworm infections may not be able to treat cancer cells from tapeworms, the researchers said.
These include tuberculosis, stomach ulcers,
tapeworm infection and the particularly striking disease that is herpes.
Tapeworm infections are very common worldwide, especially in the developing world, with an estimated 75 million people infected with H. nana at any given time.
He said traditional drugs to treat
tapeworm infection — which target the whole organism at the larval stage - might not have been effective against tapeworm cancer cells, and it's also unclear whether chemotherapy for normal human cancer cells could have helped shrink the tumors.
But, Adalja said, it's important to be aware that
tapeworm infection is a possibility.
According to Kuchta,
the tapeworm infection is usually not «dangerous,» causing problems such as abdominal pain and diarrhea in about 20 percent of people infected.
Other medical conditions such as
a tapeworm infection and inflammatory bowel disease may cause vitamin B12 deficiency.
Otherwise healthy dogs or cats may have
tapeworm infections with no outward symptoms.
Stringent flea control is best practice to prevent
tapeworm infection.
Tapeworms - as if the itching and the allergies weren't enough, fleas containing tapeworm eggs «Dipylidium caninum» can transmit
a tapeworm infection to your dog when the flea is ingested.
Tapeworm infections are usually diagnosed by finding worm segments (they typically appear as small grains of rice or seeds) on your dog's rear end, in their waste, or around the areas where they live and sleep.
Tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed when the white, mobile segments are seen crawling on your cat or in the stool.
Fleas are a common source of
tapeworm infection.
A few cases of
tapeworm infection have been reported in children.