How to Get Rid of Tapeworms in Humans

Although relatively uncommon, humans and especially infants and young children can contract tape worms. There is a misconception that tapeworms are contracted from the feces of infected animals, primarily cats and dogs. This article delves into the causes, symptoms and treatments of tapeworm infestation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sample of potentially infected person's stool

1. If you have dog or cat that has recently had, or has, fleas you should check their stool for tapeworm eggs. The tapeworm, which is made up of segment, attaches itself to your pet's intestine and feeds. Each segment can contain up to thirty eggs, with the segments breaking off as the tapeworm grows and lays eggs.

2. The segments pass out of your cat, dog, or a farm animal in their stool. You would see moving entities about the size, shape and color of cucumber seeds. These eggs are proof your pet is infected with a tapeworm.

3. 
    

   Fleas eat the feces containing the tapeworm eggs which then hatch into the larval stage inside the fleas. When a dog or cat nips at and swallows some of the infected fleas, it becomes infected. The larval stage tapeworm, ingested in the flea, is liberated and attaches and grows into an adult tapeworm inside the animal.

4. Your infant or young child can become infected with a tapeworm through fleas. Occasionally, human infants and children can become infected from the dog or cat tapeworm by ingesting larvae-containing fleas. It was probably by seeing the moving cucumber-seed-shaped egg sacks in the child's diaper or stool that the tapeworm infestation was diagnosed.

5. If your child develops constant diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and sometimes, rectal or anal itching you should take them to the doctor. You also need to take a sample of their stool, especially if you observe the small cucumber seed shaped eggs in your infant or child's diaper. Or your child may exhibit no symptoms at all.

6. There is several treatments available that your pediatrician, or other physician, if older family members become infected with tapeworms, can choose from. One treatment your physician may suggest and that has been used since the early nineteen sixties is niclosamide (Niclocide). This drug is poorly absorbed from the digestive tract and rapidly kills tapeworms upon exposure. Side effects reported with niclosamide are infrequent and typically mild.

7. Understand that Niclocide tablets are chewed thoroughly and swallowed with water. For young children, the tablets may be pulverized and mixed with water. Patients are allowed to eat two hours after treatment. Recommended dosage is 2 grams for adults and about half this for children.

8. If a family member or your child or infant is diagnosed with tapeworm a physician may also suggest you take, or give an infected family member, is praziquantel (Biltricide). This oral medication is 95% effective.

9. You should follow treatment by self checking and/or having your pediatrician or family physician checking stool samples at one month and three months after treatment has been completed. Treatment can be considered successful if no eggs are present in several stool samples.

Tips & Warnings

• It is somewhat common in the childcare setting to see infants or children infected with tapeworms. Fleas in daycare are usually found either on animals or in a sand box at child care centers or homes.
• Bathe or treat your pet regularly for fleas
• One type of tapeworm that can infect humans is through eating uncooked, or not properly cooked, pork products.
• It should be noted that the tapeworm medications do not kill the tapeworm eggs when they kill the adult worm, so the potential for infection with eggs still exists as the dead worm segments are passed. Proper personal hygiene in individuals receiving treatment will greatly reduce this potential.
• If the tapeworms are not completely killed, including the head which is attached to the intestine, they will grow back.

[Falada]

on 6/8/2009 why is there a picture of a tick next to the section regarding fleas? I might think this is a decent article except for what appears to be a SERIOUS goof...

[threekidshere]

on 4/29/2009 Good to know this, thanks