5 Tapeworms Characteristics & Types: Facts You Should Know!

The proglottids, a chain of segments that make up the body of an adult tapeworm, are its head and neck. Let us explore some types of tapeworms below.

Diphylobothrium latum
Taenia solium
Taenia saginata
Hymenolepis diminuta
Echinococcus granulosus
Hymenolepus nana

Diphylobothrium latum

A diphyllobothriid tapeworm or a pseudophyllidean tapeworm are two names for diphyllobothrium latum. “The broad tapeworm” and “The broadfish tapeworm” are some of its common names. Instead of hooks and suckers, diphyllobothriumlatum’s scolex has two shallow, longitudinal grooves known as bothria. The scolex is 1.0 mm broad and 2.5 mm long.

Taenia solium

The pig tapeworm, Taenia solium, is a member of the cyclophyllid cestode family Taeniidae. The adult worm has a white, flat body that resembles a ribbon and is at least 2 to 3 metres long. Suckers and a rostellum serves as organs of attachment to the small intestinal wall. Proglottids, a series of interconnected segments, make up the main body.

Taenia saginata

The beef tapeworm, sometimes referred to as Taenia saginata or Taeniarhynchus saginatus, is a zoonotic tapeworm from the genus Taenia and the order Cyclophyllidea. A typical adult worm measures 4 to 10 metres in length.The body is white and is divided into three sections: the scolex, the neck, and the strobila.

Hymenolepis diminuta

Rat tapeworm, commonly known as Hymenolepis diminuta, is a kind of Hymenolepis tapeworm. The mature proglottid is identical to that of H. nana, except that it is bigger, and the adult structure ranges in length from 20 to 60 cm. The egg is bigger, bile-stained, and lacking polar filaments while the scolex is devoid of hooklets.

Echinococcus granulosus

Echinococcus granulosus, often known as the hydatid worm, hyper tape-worm, or dog tapeworm.The head of E. granulosus has four suckers, and it also possesses a rostellum with hooks. The adult tapeworm has three proglottids while it is intact, including an immature proglottid, a mature proglottid, and a gravid proglottid. Its length ranges from 3 mm to 6 mm.

Hymenolepus nana

One of the most prevalent cestodes is the dwarf tapeworm. It is a cosmopolitan species but most frequently found in temperate zones. It is a tiny species, seldom growing longer than 40 mm and wider than 1 mm. The scolex is equipped with a single circle of 20–30 hooks on its retractable rostellum. The scolex also possesses a tetrad, which is four suckers.

Tapeworms Characteristics

Any member of the group of parasitic flatworms known as the Cestoda includes over 5,000 species. Let us check some of its characteristics in brief.

The anterior portion of cestodes is called the scolex.
The hooks on the scolex emerge from the rostellum, a muscular structure. It has been demonstrated that this structure is retractable, able to protrude and then retract into a tiny pouch known as the rostellar pouch.
The skinny portion that is immediately joined to the scolex is known as a cestode’s neck. . Proglottids are separate cestode segments that are affixed to the neck area.
The gut is absent from cestodes (as well as a mouth).
Due to the absence of a body cavity, cestodes are acoelomates. Cestodes just absorb nutrients through their surface membrane because they are without a mouth and digestive system.
Cestodes’ body walls are made up of cuticle which is created by the cells underneath.
The three layers of the cuticle are the ominous outer fringe, the uniform middle layer that is hairy or spiny, and the foundation membrane.
The basement membrane matrix is supported by the inner plasma membrane. It supports the protoplasmic layer in its function.
Microfiches and cytoplasmic spines cover the layer of the body wall known as the protoplasmic layer.
The outer/surface membrane has a base and a cap that is made up of microtubules and is permeable.

800px Tapeworm 265 06 Body segme — Image credits: Tapeworm body segment by
Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. (CC BY-SA 3.0) from Wikimedia Commons

Tapeworms lifespan

The flatworm phylum includes a class of parasitic worms called Cestoda (Platyhelminthes). Every cestode is a parasite. Let us see their lifespan in brief.

A host may sustain an adult tapeworm for up to 30 years. The lifespan of a tapeworm depends on a number of conditions. These parasites are capable of living for several years, most of which is spent robbing nourishment from pets.

Tapeworms life cycle

Cestodes are the only type of tapeworm that can complete its whole life cycle in a single host. Let us see their lifecycle in brief.

The life cycle of T. saginata is thought to have started when the feces of person, which contain the eggs are released into the environment.
The eggs may survive in the environment (soil, grass, water, etc.) for a number of months because of the covering that protects the eggs within.
The eggs hatch into oncospheres (larvae) when they are eaten by an intermediate host (such as a cow), and after entering the circulation, they go on to the muscle tissue. They encyst here, creating cysticerci, which are effectively encysted larvae.
With this form, the organism may live for years in the intermediate host and continue to be contagious.
The tapeworm can adhere to the small intestine and produce the proglottids that make up the body (stronila). The proglottids continue to expand as more eggs are generated by receiving nutrients via their membrane.
Once the eggs are swallowed by an intermediate host, the proglottids (which carry the eggs) break off and are expelled to the environment, and that is how the life cycle resumes.
To release the eggs, the proglottids in the environment (soil, grass, etc.) dry out and explode.
The proglottid or the eggs may therefore be eaten by an intermediary host, depending on how long they have been in the environment.

Conclusion

From the above article, it can be concluded that tapeworms are the least helpful creatures. But they also have a very limited economic impact.These worms function as organic fertilisers.