Taenia Saginata Can Arise from Eating Beef Ripe

Taenia Saginata is a type of parasite or tapeworm that causes infection in humans. This worm can last for years in a person's body without causing certain symptoms. Taenia saginata transmission occurs through consumption of beef that has been infected, especially those that are not cooked until cooked.

Infection Process

Worm eggs are excreted through infected human feces. These eggs can survive in a matter of days, even months. The eggs in the stool will then infect the surrounding environment if the stool is removed in the open. These eggs then infect livestock that consume contaminated plants. Transmission can then occur due to consuming raw or undercooked meat infected with Taenia saginata. It takes 2 months for Taenia saginata to develop into adult worms that attach to the small intestine. With a normal length of about 5 meters, these tapeworms can then stay in the human body for years. The worm will then move to the anus and lay eggs in the stool. This parasite can produce up to 100,000 eggs.

How to recognize and treat infections

Taenia Saginata and other tapeworm infections are sometimes asymptomatic. However, this parasitic infection can cause mild symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, weight loss, lack of vitamins and minerals, and lack of appetite. Constipation may occur eight weeks after consuming meat from an infected animal, when the tapeworm has fully developed in the intestine. These symptoms may continue as long as the tapeworm is not treated until it dies. In rare cases, this parasitic infection can cause serious complications such as intestinal obstruction. To deal with this parasitic infection, doctors need to do a physical examination plus a complete blood examination and stool analysis to determine the parasitic cause. In severe cases, a CT scan or MRI scan may be needed. After the diagnosis is determined, the treatment of the Taenia saginata parasitic infection usually uses antiparasitic drugs (praziquantel, niclosamide, or albendazole), and laxatives are followed.

Tips to Prevent Taenia Saginata

The good news, you can prevent Taenia saginata infection in the following ways:

• Maintain environmental cleanliness and improve sanitation, by always washing hands with soap and water after defecating and before processing food.
• Wash off vegetables and fruit with running water before consumption.
• Kill larvae and worm eggs by freezing meat at a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius for at least 12 hours, and fish 24 hours.
• Avoid eating raw fish and meat. Cook until cooked all parts of the meat with a minimum temperature of 65 degrees Celsius.
• Immediately clean the environment of animal feces to reduce the risk of infection.
• Routinely taking worm medicine to prevent worm infections.

Considering that worm parasitic infections including Taenia saginata are still quite high in areas with a less hygienic environment, it is important to adopt a clean and healthy lifestyle, and to routinely take worm medication according to doctor's recommendations. Immediately consult a doctor if you experience symptoms of Taenia saginata infection or other tapeworms.