How long can tapeworm segments live

If this happens, a worm several inches long may be seen. Tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed when the moving segments are seen crawling around the anus or in a bowel movement. 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.

Yes; however, the risk of infection with this tapeworm in humans is very low. For a person to become infected with Dipylidium , he or she must accidentally swallow an infected flea. Most reported cases involve children.

The most effective way to prevent infections in pets and humans is through flea control. A child who is infected will usually pass proglottids or what appears as rice in a bowel movement or find them stuck to the skin around the anal area. Treatment for both animals and humans is simple and very effective. A prescription drug called praziquantel is given, either orally or by injection pets only.

The medication causes the tapeworm to dissolve within the intestine. They may become picky eaters because the worms make them nauseous. Most owners diagnose tapeworms by seeing them on their pet. Most tapeworms are seen as segments which are individual egg packets either stuck around the anus or crawling out of a fresh stool. When dried up, they look like small rice grains.

Before they dry out, they look like small white balls of jelly that inch along. Tapeworms are not irritating, and so do not cause pets to be itchy.

If you see this behaviour, it usually means that your pet has blocked scent glands they are trying to unplug. Since tapeworms are spread by consuming an intermediate host, it is highly unlikely for a person to develop tapeworms. It is possible to get tapeworm eggs on your hands and get tapeworms from putting your fingers in your mouth. There are several medicines that will kill adult tapeworms that live in the intestine. The worms that are passed will be dead, but segments are full of eggs that could potentially hatch.

You prevent reinfection by preventing exposure to intermediate hosts. Treat for fleas if there are any.

If possible, keep your pet from hunting for mice and birds. Frequency of treatment depends on how often they are exposed to new worms. Ingestion of larvae cysts in meat or muscle tissue. When an animal has a tapeworm infection, it has tapeworm larvae in its muscle tissue. If you eat raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal, you ingest the larvae, which then develop into adult tapeworms in your intestines. Adult tapeworms can measure more than 80 feet 25 meters long and can survive as long as 30 years in a host.

Some tapeworms attach themselves to the walls of the intestines, where they cause irritation or mild inflammation, while others may pass through to your stool and exit your body. Intestinal tapeworm infections usually don't cause complications.

If complications do occur, they may include:. Organ function disruption. When larvae migrate to the liver, lungs or other organs, they become cysts. Over time, these cysts grow, sometimes large enough to crowd the functioning parts of the organ or reduce its blood supply.

Tapeworm cysts sometimes rupture, releasing more larvae, which can move to other organs and form additional cysts.

A ruptured or leaking cyst can cause an allergy-like reaction, with itching, hives, swelling and difficulty breathing. Surgery or organ transplantation may be needed in severe cases. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Cats can also get tapeworms by ingesting the eggs shed by other animals or by hunting flea-infested rodents. Each of these segments has its own digestive and reproductive system. Because tapeworms feed on the nutrients passed in the small intestine, your cat may seem more hungry than usual as she is unwittingly sharing her meals with a nasty intestinal parasite.

If the infestation lasts long enough, your cat might even lose weight. Treating tapeworms includes a deworming medication that will kill off the existing tapeworms. Additionally, ensuring your cat and house are flea-free is as important, since your cat can become reinfested by consuming fleas.