Tapeworm - What A Tapeworm Looks Like, Photos And Methods Of Tapeworm Infection

2023 Author: Riley Dean | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 09:15

Last updated 1 March 2020 at 00:33

Reading time: 4 minutes

Fish dishes are an indispensable element of the diet of any person. They saturate the body with a mass of useful and nutritious substances.

Fans of this product, raw, smoked or dried, as well as sushi, should be aware of the possibility of infection of the body with helminths, one of which is fish tapeworm.

Content

• 1 What is a worm
• 2 Ways of infection
• 3 Symptoms of the disease
• 4 What type of fish is dangerous?
• 5 Parasites in smoked and salted fish

• 6 Preventive activities

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What is a worm

The tapeworm tapeworm found in fish is a type of helminthiasis that can occur in everyone, regardless of age, social status and gender. The main source of its distribution is determined by white fish, often specifically it conceals the danger of invasion.

This type of worm is actively developing in the body of gulls, and today it is very often found in humans. The tapeworm poses a risk of intestinal obstruction.

The second name of the parasitic worm is broad tapeworm. Its vital activity is due to several phases of development, which determine the degree of damage to the human body. The fish is content with molluscs, various crustaceans, as a result of which the invasion is carried out. Birds eat already infected fish.

The development of the worm continues in the body of birds, and then they go out naturally and penetrate into the liquid. Grains of excrement penetrate through food to crustaceans, then back to fish.

The fish tapeworm is determined by the largest helminth, it can reach a length of up to 28 m. What a tapeworm looks like in a fish: when opening an infected carcass, you can see a long and flat worm with a body similar to a ribbon.

This kind of helminth is a bisexual individual that is capable of self-fertilization. An adult helminth is usually white in color, it has many segments and suckers on the front of the body. The average size reaches 15 - 20 cm, the tapeworm has the ability to regenerate and is able to live a long period in the human body without showing itself.

Ways of infection

The most common source of infection is fish, infestation through vegetables and fruits is minimized, because for full development, the tapeworm needs moisture. There are no obvious signs in infected representatives; you can distinguish it from healthy ones by pressing on the belly.

The absence of signs does not mean that fish should be eliminated from the diet altogether. Attention should be paid to the preparation of any of these representatives: they need to be steamed, fried in a pan or in the oven.

The longer the delicacy is heat-treated at high temperatures, the less the risk of infection with helminths. The tapeworm is able to withstand low temperatures without difficulty, so when buying fish you should not rely on chance.

Disease symptoms

The tapeworm in fish is dangerous because the signs of its appearance at the initial stages are almost invisible. The difference from other types of worm infestation is that this parasitic worm infects the body at a slow rate.

The main symptoms are the following:

1. intestinal dysfunction (constipation and diarrhea);
2. dizziness;
3. nausea and vomiting;
4. increased saliva production;
5. causeless fatigue, fainting;
6. the surface of the tongue is covered with cracks, bloom and red spots.

Symptoms of invasion are similar to food poisoning, in all cases there is a violation of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Often, people confuse the symptoms of helminthiasis with other pathologies.

Development of a later stage occurs with severe intestinal obstruction, because a large number of parasitic worms accumulate there. This factor is the most dangerous, because serious cases are fraught with surgical intervention.

What type of fish is dangerous?

The crucian carp is most often infested; there are whole bodies of water where all creatures are infected with a parasite called the gall worm. It is easy to clarify this factor: all fish swims closer to the surface, moves slowly and sluggishly.

Many other types can be infected with worms, this is due only to the viability of the worm. Crustaceans are exclusively carriers of eggs.

Parasites in smoked and salted fish

The tapeworm of a salted or dried product does not appear as mature individuals, but as larvae. Adults do not have the ability to survive in such an environment, which cannot be said for their eggs. Formed parasitic worms can also be found inside this type of fish if it has not been processed, cleaned, or washed.

When purchasing a salted or dried product, you should check all certificates for them. If the technology of smoking fish is not followed, the heat treatment is insufficient or too fast, a parasite may exist inside.

Preventive activities

In order to exclude tapeworm infestation, some recommendations should be considered and followed. The main one: complete heat treatment of fish products, the use of raw fish is fraught with infection.

Preventive measures include the following:

1. you should not purchase already cut carcasses;
2. it is necessary to give preference to the catch from an artificial reservoir
3. if a parasite is detected, it is recommended to dispose of the product;
4. you should not purchase a product if you are not sure about the quality of its preparation;
5. fish should be left to freeze for two days before cooking.

Fishing from unverified bodies of water should be excluded, because there can be no confidence in the purity of water and fish. You should not buy food from the roadside, dirt, dust and unknown processing method can become a source of helminths.

Food whims should not be an occasion for which it is worth putting your own health and even life at risk. Tapeworm is dangerous to humans from the moment of infection, so its timely removal is extremely important.

Products infected with helminths are dangerous for people because, after entering the intestines, the parasites are able to spread to other organs. Infection with helminths and its detection in the later stages is fraught with serious complications, up to and including death.