Cestoda (Cestoidea) is the name given to a class of parasitic flatworms, commonly called tapeworms, of the phylum Platyhelminthes. Its members live in the digestive tract of vertebrates as adults, and often in the bodies of various animals as juveniles. Over a thousand species have been described, and all vertebrate species can be parasitised by at least one species of tapeworm. Several species parasitise humans after being consumed in underprepared meat such as pork (Taenia solium), beef (T. saginata), and fish (Diphyllobothrium spp.), or in food prepared in conditions of poor hygiene (Hymenolepis spp. or Echinococcus spp.). T. saginata, the beef tapeworm, can grow up to 12 m (40 ft); the largest species, the whale tapeworm Polygonoporus giganticus, can grow to over 30 m (100 ft).

Taenia solium/saginata

Hymenolepsis nana

Hymenolepsis diminuta

Dipylidium caninum

Diphyllbothrium latum

For more information view the source: Medical Microbiology

Recommended Test:Full GI Panel

Recommended Product:Freedom Cleanse Restore Parasite Cleanse

<< Back to Wiki