TAPEWORMS
One of my goals for 2018 was to read/listen to 24 nonfiction books. The year is coming to an end and because I spent 155 hours listening to a science fiction trilogy (arg!) I am a bit pushed for time. I am now “high grading” books that are 10 hours or less. I am utterly enthralled by the book “The Royal Art of Poison” by Eleanor Herman who shares her research on poisons, filthy palaces, fatal cosmetics, and horrid medical practices used by physicians of the day. What tickled me today was a description of the poor sanitary practices of the time. According to the book, human waste was deposited on the streets, in latrines, or even in the basements of palaces. Washing was considered impious at the time. No surprises that human fecal matter ended up in foods and along with it … intestinal parasites. You can read about one of these in “I’m scared of ascaris” posted August 18. But another doozey is the tapeworm. The tapeworm is one giant reproductive ribbon designed to suck your nutrients up and have you poop out their babies and/or proglottids. Let us take a closer look…
Tapeworms can be up to 80 feet long. They are made up of a scolex with a crown of hooks that embed in your intestinal wall. Beyond the scolex is the body, made up of a series of segments called proglottids. There is no mouth because the tapeworm adsorbs nutrients from you, the host, across its body wall. Each body segment (proglottid) is a reproductive machine with both male and female reproductive structures. The fertilized eggs are kept in the proglottids which break off and leave the host along with poop. Are you seeing the link to human feces and cleanliness yet?
So how do you get a tapeworm? Well, exposure to eggs and/or proglottids from poop would do the trick. Imagine you are working in the yard where the neighborhood pets poop freely. You stop for a quick snack, failing to wash your hands. You ingest an egg and/or proglottid which travels down your digestive track, survives the acids of your stomach, and hatches out in your intestine. The scolex attaches to your intestinal wall and it starts producing proglottids which “get it on” (in the words of Barry White). It only takes one! Tapeworms are hermaphrodites. If you have multiple tapeworms, then they will fertilize each other. Let that soak in.
Most folks with an intestinal tapeworm are asymptomatic. I know that is a relief! According to the Mayo clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tapeworm/symptoms-causes/syc-20378174) an intestinal infection can cause nausea, weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, salt craving, and weight loss with inadequate adsorption of nutrients from food. One of the first signs of infection is the occurrence of proglottids in your poop. These will look like flat, rectangular pieces of rice. If you have a tapeworm, there is a pill to treat it. For now, let’s focus on washing those hands before eating.
