Tapeworm Infestation Follow-up

  • Author: Lisandro Irizarry, MD, MPH, FAAEM; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD   more...
 
Updated: May 2, 2011
 

Complications

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Prognosis

  • The cure rate for tapeworm infestation is greater than 95% in patients who receive appropriate treatment.
  • The prognosis for systemic cysts depends on the location of the cysts.
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Patient Education

  • Proper cooking of beef, pork, and fish
  • Proper freezing of meat or fish
  • Fecal-oral precautions with good hand washing
  • Treatment of infected dogs and prevention of fleas
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Lisandro Irizarry, MD, MPH, FAAEM  Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooklyn Hospital Center; Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Weill Cornell School of Medicine

Lisandro Irizarry, MD, MPH, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Medical Toxicology, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Patricia Phan, MD, FACEP, FAAEM  Residency Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brooklyn Hospital Center

Patricia Phan, MD, FACEP, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Richard S Krause, MD  Senior Clinical Faculty/Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Buffalo State University of New York School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Richard S Krause, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Eddy S Lang, MDCM, CCFP(EM), CSPQ  Associate Professor, Senior Researcher, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine; Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Canada

Eddy S Lang, MDCM, CCFP(EM), CSPQ is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD  Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author, Raquel Mora, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

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Adult tapeworm of Dipylidium caninum. Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Ultrasonographic appearance of echinococcal cysts (Gharbi type I, World Health Organization [WHO] standardized classification CE1).
Diagram of the Echinococcus life cycle. Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Table. Cestodes and Their Hosts
CestodePrimary HostIntermediate Host
T soliumHumansPigs, humans, dogs, cats, sheep
T saginataHumansCattle
DiphyllobothriumHumansFish
HymenolepisHumansHymenolepis nana: None; Hymenolepis diminuta: Rodents
D caninumHumans, dogs, catsFleas on dogs/cats
EchinococcusDogsHumans, sheep, cattle, goats, horses, camel
SpirometraHumans
T multicepsHares, rabbits, squirrels, humans (rarely)
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