For serious cases, your doctor may use imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to check for tapeworm lesions or secondary swelling outside of the digestive tract. The type and length of treatment may depend on the type of tapeworm you have.
CT scans or MRI s.
Both types of tests create detailed images of the internal structures, which can help your doctor detect worms that are blocking ducts in the liver or pancreas. CT scans combine X-ray images taken from many angles. MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field.
Certain types of imaging, such as CT or MRI scans, X-rays, or ultrasounds of cysts, may suggest invasive tapeworm infection.
Diagnosis of Taenia tapeworm infections is made by examination of stool samples; individuals should also be asked if they have passed tapeworm segments. Stool specimens should be collected on three different days and examined in the lab for Taenia eggs using a microscope.
A tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed by finding eggs or tapeworm segments in the stool. Your doctor may ask you to bring in a sample so a lab can look for eggs, larvae, or tapeworm segments. A blood test can spot antigens, foreign substances that let your doctor know your body is trying to fight the infection.
Taeniasis can cause mild and non-specific symptoms, including abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea or constipation when the tapeworms become fully developed in the intestine. Cysticercosis in humans, on the other hand, occurs when the eggs of pork tapeworms are accidentally ingested.
Many times, people can be infected for long periods of time without even knowing they have a tapeworm infection. While viral or bacterial infections can disappear in a matter of days or weeks, a tapeworm could be with you for years.
Tapeworms are the flatworms that live in the human digestive tract. If you suspect you might have tapeworms, you need to visit a doctor for stool sample analysis, a blood test, and imaging tests.
Diagnosis for tapeworm infection is usually done through detection of eggs and proglottids (worm segments) via a stool test, although many patients' tapeworms are detected when they find proglottids in their own stool or in the toilet. It's not possible to determine which species of tapeworm is present without testing.
Dipylidium tapeworm eggs are rarely released into the feces and are therefore not usually detected by routine fecal exams performed by your veterinarian. Because of this, veterinarians depend on you to notify them of possible tapeworm infection in your pet.
Figura 1. On the x-ray film of the small bowel, the tapeworm (large arrow) was detected as a long, translucent filling defect in the ileum.
Diagnosis may require blood tests and/or imaging studies. Diagnosis of neurocysticercosis is usually made by MRI or CT brain scans.
An abdominal CT scan uses a special X-ray machine to take pictures of the liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder, stomach, intestines, pancreas, and adrenal glands, blood vessels, and lymph nodes .
Diagnose muscle and bone disorders, such as bone tumors and fractures. Pinpoint the location of a tumor, infection or blood clot. Guide procedures such as surgery, biopsy and radiation therapy. Detect and monitor diseases and conditions such as cancer, heart disease, lung nodules and liver masses.
Left untreated, adult tapeworms can live in a host body for up to 30 years.
Tapeworms in dogs can cause serious health issues such as anemia, weight loss, and intestinal blockages if left untreated. If you notice any signs of tapeworms infecting your dog, it is important to see a vet as soon as possible for treatment.
Anyone who has a tapeworm will need medical treatment to get rid of it. Treatment is about 95% effective and typically takes a few days.
Clinical diagnosis is usually made by observing the white, mobile tapeworm segments in the feces or crawling around the anus. These segments look like grains of white rice or cucumber seeds.
The most common tapeworm infection in Australia is caused by dwarf tapeworm. There is also a risk in Australia of contracting a serious condition called hydatid disease from the eggs of a type of tapeworm called Echinococcus granulosus found in dog faeces (poo).
Tapeworm infections are rare in the United States. When they do happen, they're easy to treat. Often, people may not know they have a tapeworm infection because they have no symptoms or their symptoms are mild.
The Spirometra tapeworm can live in humans for up to 20 years. A man in China experienced seizures and other mysterious symptoms for years before doctors finally found the cause: He had a rare parasite living in his brain, which had likely been there for more than a decade, according to news reports.
When you do have symptoms, they're usually digestive (abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite). Other symptoms and possible complications are different depending on what type of tapeworm you have. Complications can include anemia, vitamin D deficiency, and seizures.
The infection is treated with albendazole or praziquantel (drugs used to treat parasitic worm infections, called antihelminthic drugs).