Taenia saginata, commonly known as the beef tapeworm, is a zoonotic tapeworm belonging to the

order Cyclophyllidea and genus Taenia. It is an intestinal parasite in humans causing taeniasis and
cysticercosis in cattle.

“When infected meat is eaten raw or inadequately cooked, the cyst wall is dissolved, the scolex attaches
itself to the intestinal wall and grows rapidly, reaching the adult stage after about two months. The
maximum duration of life is not known, but is at least several years.”

Case Report

The patient, aged sixty, was a tall, thin, emaciated white male, older in appearance than his stated age.
His chief complaint was severe weight loss. He had been accepted for general service in August 1940. In
May 1942, he was sent to Persia, where he experienced a chronic feeling of fatigue and began to lose
weight. This, in his opinion, was incident to sweating associated with the excessive heat. In August 1942,
he suffered an attack of sandfly fever. During his stay in Persia, there were no specific gastro-intestinal
symptoms except for occasional mild bouts of diarrhea due, he believed, to poor food. His symptoms
continued, but he was not incapacitated, although he lost approximately 65 pounds. In January 1943, he
returned to the United States, where during a thirty-day leave he regained 18 pounds. Following this,
during an assignment in this country, he continued slowly to regain weight. In 1944, he was again found
fit for overseas duty and in March departed for India.

Shortly after arrival, he began to suffer from anorexia, occasional mild lower abdominal cramps, and
constipation, at times alternating with mild diarrhea. He attributed the symptoms to eating excessively
greasy food. He began again to lose weight rapidly. The symptoms persisted, and by early July (1944) he
had lost approximately forty-five pounds. He was returned to the United States. En route to the boat, his
gastro-intestinal symptoms improved, due to the change in diet. After several weeks on board ship, a
moderate painless edema of the feet and ankles developed, which improved after arrival in America.

CHARACTERISTICS AND EFFECTS

Patients may be asymptomatic or have mild digestive symptoms including epigastric discomfort,
nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, or hunger pains..
Life Cycle

Length of adult worms is usually 5 m or less for T. saginata (however it may reach up to 25 m) and 2 to 7
m for T. solium. The adults produce proglottids which mature, become gravid, detach from the
tapeworm, and migrate to the anus or are passed in the stool (approximately 6 per day).