. Helminths are animals that belong to the phyla Platyhelminthes and Nematoda (Nemathel- minthes).
Many parasitic forms of this group, popularly known as parasitic worms, are endoparasites of gut and
blood in human body and cause various diseases called as helminthiasis.
- Taeniasis Taeniasisis caused by Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) and Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) The adult parasites reside in the small intestine of human beings (primary host) and their larvae infest the muscles of the pig mostly (secondary host).
Mode of transmission
. Human beings get infected by eating raw and inadequately cooked measly pork or beef containing cysticerci of tapeworm.
Symptoms=
Taeniasis can be recognised by abdominal pain nausea, anaemia, insomnia, increased appetite and
indigestion. It results in increase of eosinophil cells in blood and nervous disorders like epilepsy While the hooks and suckers cause mechanical
obstruction in the intestine, the toxins released by the tapeworm bring about the above-mentioned
symptoms.
Prevention and treatment
. This disease can be prevented if the pork / beef is fully cooked before eating and the faecal matter of infected human beings is destroyed in pits Camoquin and atabrin are effective in treating the
disease
2. Cysticercosis
Cysticercosis is caused by cysticercus (a larva of tape worm).
Cysticercus develops from another larva called onchosphere. The onchospheres reach the intestine where they develop into cysticerci.
Mode of transmission Humans become infected on ingesting tapeworm eggs
in contaminated food or drink.
Symptoms=
The presence of cysticerci in the muscles causes pain and weakness; in the
the brain WHOA symptoms are more.
