This article is about the organism. Taenia asiatica and Taenia solium, in structure and biology, except for few details. Taenia saginata proglottid stained to show uterine branches: The pore on the side identifies it as a cyclophyllid cestode. Beef intestine of cestodes, its body is flattened dorsoventrally and heavily segmented.
It is entirely covered by a tegument. It derives nutrients from the host through its tegument, as the tegument is completely covered with absorptive hair-like microtriches. Cattle acquire the embryonated eggs, the oncospheres, when they eat contaminated food. Oncospheres enter the duodenum, the anterior portion of the small intestine, and hatch there under the influence of gastric juices.
Humans contract infective cysticerci by eating raw or undercooked meat. Once reaching the jejunum, the inverted scolex becomes evaginated to the exterior under stimuli from the digestive enzymes of the host. Using the scolex, it attaches to the intestinal wall. The larva mature into adults about 5 to 12 weeks later. Adult worms can live about 25 years in the host. The disease is relatively common in Africa, some parts of Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and Latin America. This parasite is found anywhere where beef is eaten, including countries such as the United States, with strict federal sanitation policies.
The Taenia saginata remains asymptomatic due to the fact the organism does not present cysticerci in humans. Therefore there is no presence of cysticercosis in humans either. Typically, cysticercosis is a parasitical tissue infection which infect the brain and muscle tissues. However the Taenia saginata can cause taeniasis, which is an infection. Taeniasis causes weightloss, pain and blockages in the intestines which can potentially become life-threatening.
The basic diagnosis is done from a stool sample. Feces are examined to find parasite eggs. The eggs look like other eggs from the family Taeniidae, so it is only possible to identify the eggs to the family, not to the species level. Differentiation of the species of Taenia, such as T. Eosinophilia and elevated IgE levels are chief hematological findings.