Pork tapeworm – causes, complaints & therapy

Tapeworms belong to the group of parasites. The pork tapeworm or pork fin tapeworm belongs to the group of flatworms. The worms live in the intestines of their final hosts and can grow there a few millimeters as well as up to several meters long.

The name refers to the host of the worm. During its life, pork tapeworm undergoes a developmental cycle, changing hosts. Thus, the intermediate host of the worm is the pig and the final host is the human.

Although the pork tapeworm is distributed worldwide, it is mainly found in South America, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, New Guinea) and Africa. Due to mandatory veterinary inspections (meat inspection), cases of pork tapeworm infections are very rare in Germany.

Causes

The causative agent of a pork tapeworm infection is the worm Taenia solium, which is about 1.5 centimeters wide and can reach a length of 2 to 7 meters.Humans become infected when they ingest the larvae of pork tapeworm by eating colonized meat. In the intestine, these larvae then mature into tapeworms and attach their head to the intestinal wall. For this purpose, the worms wear four suction cups and two hook wreaths on the head. Then the tapeworm limbs join.

Since tapeworms are hermaphrodites, the tapeworm limbs contain male and female gonads, so that the eggs grow in the worm after fertilization. If tapeworm limbs contain mature eggs, they detach and are excreted with the feces. So, in the intestine, the larvae develop into sexually mature worms and the development cycle begins again.

A sexually mature pork tapeworm can have a lifespan of up to 20 years. The incubation period is a few weeks. The development of the larvae into pork tapeworm takes about 3 to 4 months and only then are the eggs of the tapeworm detectable in the faeces.

When to see a doctor?

If stomach cramps, headaches or cardiovascular problems occur, a doctor’s visit is recommended. Pork tapeworm is rarely life-threatening, but can lead to long-term health problems. If there is a concrete suspicion, for example if the symptoms occur after contact with pigs or the consumption of poorly cooked pork, a doctor should be consulted.

At the latest with external signs such as weight loss or bleeding, medical advice is required. The right contact person is the family doctor or a gastroenterologist. Depending on the symptoms, patients can also contact the urologist or cardiologist. If there has already been a noticeable weight loss, a consultation with the nutritionist is recommended.

The pork tapeworm can be removed with medication without major complications to be expected. Muscle or nerve complaints indicate that a so-called cysticercosis has developed, in which the worm precursors penetrate into the tissue. Then a specialist clinic must be visited, which offers appropriate therapy. In case of side effects and interactions or unusual symptoms during treatment, you should also inform the doctor.

Symptoms and course

An infection with the pork tapeworm can go unnoticed or cause different symptoms. Thus, in some cases, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss and anemia occur.

The infestation of the worm usually causes no typical symptoms. However, if lack of hygiene leads to self-infection, i.e. when the worms are reabsorbed from the intestinal tract via the mouth, this can cause a serious clinical picture. This is then called cysticercosis. Here, symptoms appear in the form of spasms and neurological disorders, as the larvae are distributed throughout the body with the bloodstream and can settle in the connective tissue, muscles or brain.

Normally, infection with the pork tapeworm takes an uncomplicated course, so that the prognosis is usually good as long as no larvae develop in the body. However, this only occurs in about 10 percent of cases, which can lead to complications when the tapeworm cysts interfere with brain or organ functions.

Diagnosis

If there is a suspicion of infection with a pork tapeworm, it is recommended to consult a specialist in gastroenterology. The doctor first conducts a detailed anamnesis interview with the patient.

As part of the diagnosis, the patient must give the doctor a stool sample. This is then thoroughly examined in a laboratory under a microscope. Excreted eggs of the pork tapeworm can be detected, which are visible under the microscope. In addition, so-called proglottids can also be detected during the microscopic examination. Proglottids are individual reproductive members of the tapeworm. The proglottids are usually present in large numbers on the pork tapeworm. However, they often break down rapidly within the gut, making diagnosis more difficult.

Other possible examination methods are the ELISA method (Enzyme Liked Immunosorbent Assay), which is an antibody-based detection method, and immunofluorescence. These methods can be used in a laboratory to detect antigens in the form of worm particles. The antigens lead to a reaction of the immune system in a person. Antibodies are formed as a consequence of the tapeworms, which can also be detected.

In order to be able to distinguish between a pork tapeworm and a beef tapeworm, a morphological examination is also carried out under a microscope. Indirect indications of a pork tapeworm infestation can also be found through tissue calcification. These are detected during an X-ray examination .

treatment and therapy

The diagnosis is made using a stool sample. The eggs excreted in the stool can be seen under the microscope.Therapy then aims to remove the pork tapeworm. Praziquantel or niclosamide tablets, for example, are suitable for this purpose. These active ingredients kill the worms and can then be passed with the bowel movement. Killing the worms releases pork tapeworm antigens into the body.

These are components to which the immune system can react, leading to severe side effects and hypersensitivity reactions. For this reason, Cortisone is also given, as this dampens the body’s defense reaction.

Prevention

Pork tapeworm infection can be prevented by not eating undercooked or raw pork. In addition, there is no risk of infection if the pork has been frozen for at least 10 days.