How Do People Get Tapeworms?
A tapeworm infection can be deadly. Incidents of tapeworms in humans are rare. Nevertheless, preventive practices are worth implementing in communities in order to reduce rates of infection from tapeworms.
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Infected Meat
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Consumption of insufficiently cooked meat, pork or fish is a cause tapeworms in humans. David J. Zimmerman, author of Killer germs: Microbes and Diseases that Threaten Humanity, remarks that "there is even danger in preparing gefilte fish, for cooks have a tendency to taste-test the partially cooked fish as it simmers (See Reference 1)."
Contaminated Soil
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Tapeworm larvae can survive in an animal's feces, which may contaminate soil where fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested for human consumption.
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Person-to-Person
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Tapeworm in people transmits from person-to-person, such as when a Dwarf Tapeworm Infection spreads tapeworm eggs through feces.
Flea Transmission
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Dr. Dan Wasmund of Woodside Veterinary Hospital of Devola, Ohio counsels readers that if children accidentally swallow fleas carried by a household pet, infections with the Dipylidium species of tapeworm can occur (See Reference 2).
Voluntary Injestion
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A "tapeworm diet" helps people shed unwanted pounds by ingesting a tapeworm parasite. Once inside a willing host, the tapeworm grows and absorbs calories from her body (See Reference 3).
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Hernán García Crespo
