Taenia saginata taeniasis produces only mild abdominal symptoms. The most striking feature consists of the passage (active and passive) of proglottids.SkipdirectlytositecontentSkipdirectlytopageoptionsSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkDPDx-LaboratoryIdentificationofParasitesofPublicHealthConcernSectionNavigationCDCHomeFacebookTwitterLinkedInSyndicateTaeniasisMinusRelatedPages[Taeniaasiatica][Taeniasaginata][Taeniasolium]ParasiteBiologyImageGalleryLaboratoryDiagnosisTreatmentInformationCausalAgentsThecestodesTaeniasaginata(beeftapeworm),T.solium(porktapeworm)andT.asiatica(Asiantapeworm).Taeniasoliumcanalsocausecysticercosis.LifeCycleTaeniasisistheinfectionofhumanswiththeadulttapewormofTaeniasaginata,T.soliumorT.asiatica.Humansaretheonlydefinitivehostsforthesethreespecies.Eggsorgravidproglottidsarepassedwithfeces;theeggscansurvivefordaystomonthsintheenvironment.Cattle(T.saginata)andpigs(T.soliumandT.asiatica)becomeinfectedbyingestingvegetationcontaminatedwitheggsorgravidproglottids.Intheanimal’sintestine,theoncosphereshatch,invadetheintestinalwall,andmigratetothestriatedmuscles,wheretheydevelopintocysticerci.Acysticercuscansurviveforseveralyearsintheanimal.Humansbecomeinfectedbyingestingraworundercookedinfectedmeat.Inthehumanintestine,thecysticercusdevelopsover2monthsintoanadulttapeworm,whichcansurviveforyears.Theadulttapewormsattachtothesmallintestinebytheirscolexandresideinthesmallintestine.Lengthofadultwormsisusually5morlessforT.saginata(howeveritmayreachupto25m)and2to7mforT.solium.Theadultsproduceproglottidswhichmature,becomegravid,detachfromthetapeworm,andmigratetotheanusorarepassedinthestool(approximately6perday).T.saginataadultsusuallyhave1,000to2,000proglottids,whileT.soliumadultshaveanaverageof1,000proglottids.Theeggscontainedinthegravidproglottidsarereleasedaftertheproglottidsarepassedwiththefeces.T.saginatamayproduceupto100,000andT.soliummayproduce50,000eggsperproglottidrespectively.GeographicDistributionTaeniasaginataandT.soliu