Cestodes (Tapeworms)
Classification & Body Structure:
1. Class: Cestoda, Phylum Platyhelminthes
2. Body: Flat and ribbonlike, white or yellowish
3. Parts:
o Scolex: Anterior attachment organ
o Neck: Short region after the scolex
o Strobila: Chain of segments (proglottids)
Proglottids:
Immature: Near the neck, undeveloped structures
Mature: Middle of the chain, with reproductive organs
Gravid: Terminal part, filled with eggs
Attachment & Nutrition:
Attachment: Scolex with suckers or bothria
Nutrition: Absorbed through the tegument, no digestive system
Orders & Scolex Types:
1. Order Pseudophyllidea: Scolex with bothria
2. Order Cyclophyllidea: Scolex with cup-shaped suckers
Life Cycle:
Definitive Host: Where the adult tapeworm matures (e.g., humans)
Intermediate Host: Hosts the larval form
Important Species & Hosts:
1. Dibothriocephalus latus: Definitive host - humans
2. Taenia saginata: Definitive host - humans
3. Hymenolepis diminuta: Definitive host - humans
4. Taenia solium: Humans as both definitive and intermediate hosts
5. Hymenolepis nana: Humans as both definitive and intermediate hosts
6. Echinococcus: Humans as intermediate hosts only
Extraintestinal Infection:
More serious than infection with adult worms
Dibothriocephalus latus (Broad Fish Tapeworm)
General Information:
Distribution: Found almost worldwide, particularly in northern temperate areas where
people eat pickled or undercooked freshwater fish.
Symptoms: pernicious anemia (B12)
Morphology:
Eggs:
o Ovoid shape
o Approximately 70 µm long and 50 µm wide
o Have an operculum (a lid-like structure) for the embryo to escape
o Smooth shell, moderate thickness, yellowish-brown color
Adult Worm:
o Several meters in length
o Scolex (head):
Elongate and spoon/almond/spatulate-shaped
Has two longitudinal grooves called bothria
o Segments:
wider than they are long, contain a rosette-
shaped uterus in the center
Life Cycle
Intermediate Hosts:
First Intermediate Host (1st IH): Freshwater crustaceans (copepods)
Second Intermediate Host (2nd IH): Freshwater Fish
Spirometra spp. (Sparganosis)
General Morphology:
Sparganum Larvae:
o Wrinkled, whitish, ribbon-shaped
o Few millimeters wide and up to several centimeters long
o Anterior end can invaginate and shows signs of sucking
grooves
Life Cycle:
Infective Stages:
Procercoid Larvae: Ingested through contaminated water, causes sparganosis
Plerocercoid Larvae: Found in tissues of cold-blooded vertebrates
Taenia solium (Pork Tapeworm)
General Morphology:
Adult Length: 2 to 7 meters
Scolex : Muscular with four suckers and a double crown of hooks for
attachment
Proglottids:
o Mature Segments: Wider than
o Gravid Segments: Longer than wide (7-13 branches)
Eggs: Thick, radially striated coat called the embryophore; dark brown
color
Larvae (Oncosphere): Six-hooked embryo
Life Cycle:
Infective Stages:
Cysticercus cellulosae: Intestinal infection from ingested infected meat
Eggs: Larvae released, invading various organs causing cysticercosis (neurocysticercosis if brain is
involved)
Taenia saginata (Beef Tapeworm)
General Morphology:
Adult Length: Typically less than 12.5 meters, but can exceptionally reach up to 25 meters
Scolex (Head): Unarmed with four muscular suckers and no hooks (differentiates from T. solium)
Segments (Proglottids):
o Mature Proglottids: Wider than long or nearly square
o Gravid Proglottids: Longer than wide, with 15 to 20 primary uterine branches
Infective Stages:
Cysticercus bovis: Causes intestinal infection when ingested from infected cattle meat
Echinococcus Species (Hydatid Disease)
General Information:
Species: Echinococcus granulosus, E. multilocularis, and E. vogeli
Hosts: Adult worms found in Canidae; humans are hosts to the larval stage (hydatid).
General Morphology:
Adult Worm:
o Length: 0.6 cm or less
o Structure: Scolex, neck, and three proglottids (one
immature, one mature, one gravid)
Eggs:
o Contain an embryo called an onchosphere or hexacanth
with six hooklets
o Eggs cannot be distinguished from those of Taenia
Life Cycle:
Definitive Hosts: Dogs and other Canidae
Intermediate Hosts:
o E. granulosus: Sheep (pastoral cycle) and wolves (sylvatic cycle)
o E. multilocularis and E. vogeli: Various hosts
Transmission:
Hydatid Cysts:
E. granulosus: Unilocular cysts with fluid
E. multilocularis: Alveolar or multilocular cysts with little fluid
E. vogeli: Polycystic hydatid cysts
Infective Stages:
Infective Stage: Embryonated egg
Dipylidium caninum (Double-Pored Dog Tapeworm)
General Morphology
Adult Worm:
o 15 cm to 80 cm
o Armed scolex with four suckers and a conical,
retractile rostellum with rows of small hooks
o Mature proglottids: longer than wide
Life Cycle
Infective Stage: Cysticercoid larvae in fleas
Intermediate Host: Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis), or human
flea (Pulex irritans)
Egg:
Hymenolepis nana (Dwarf Tapeworm)
General Morphology
Size: Smallest tapeworm, 25-40 mm in length.
Scolex: Armed with four suckers and a rostellum with one
circle of hooks.
Proglottids: Wider than long, containing one set of male and
female reproductive organs.
Eggs: Broadly ovoid, 30-47 µm, six-hooked (hexacanth)
oncosphere with two polar thickenings and polar filaments.
Life Cycle
Direct Cycle: Embryonated egg is the infective stage.
Indirect Cycle: Cysticercoid larva is the infective stage.
Hymenolepis diminuta (Rat Tapeworm)
General Morphology
Size: Adults typically 20 to 50 cm long, up to 4 mm wide. The largest reported specimen from a
person is 1 meter.
Scolex: Unarmed, with four suckers and a small rostellum without hooks.
Eggs: Slightly ovoid and brown, with a thick striated coat. The oncosphere is enclosed in a
membrane with two polar thickenings but no polar filaments.
Life Cycle
Intermediate Host: Arthropods (e.g., flour moths, flour beetles).
