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Veterinary Parasitology 149 (2007) 22–24

www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar

Taenia saginata in Europe

P. Dorny a,b,*, N. Praet a
a
Department of Animal Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium
b
Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University,
Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium

Abstract
In spite of the EU directives that regulate meat inspection for bovine cysticercosis, Taenia saginata is still present in Europe and
causes economic losses due to condemnation, refrigeration and downgrading of infected carcasses. The main reasons for this
persistence include the low sensitivity of current meat inspection protocols, the dissemination and survival of eggs in the
environment and cattle husbandry systems, which allow grazing on pastures and drinking from water streams. It is assumed that
water streams and surface water are potentially contaminated with T. saginata eggs. Furthermore, current wastewater management
not only fails to halt, but rather contributes to the dissemination of eggs in the environment.
Here, the authors discuss an integrated approach for control of this food-borne zoonosis, as well as the potential use of
serological methods as a way of improving detection of bovine cysticercosis.
# 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Taenia saginata; Bovine cysticercosis; Europe

1. Introduction systems. In contrast, T. saginata persists, despite

Taenia saginata, Taenia saginata asiatica and
Taenia solium are unique among helminth agents of
zoonoses because their life cycles are dependent upon
humans as the only definitive host. Their life cycles also
depend on the link between humans and cattle (T.
saginata) or pigs (T. s. asiatica and T. solium) (Flisser
et al., 2005). Interruption of these links could result in
the elimination of the parasite. Therefore, control of
taeniosis and cysticercosis appears to be straightforward
and easy. Indeed, infection by T. solium was eradicated
in Europe mainly due to general socio-economic
development and intensification of pig husbandry
* Corresponding author at: Department of Animal Health, Institute
of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
Tel.: +32 3 247 6394; fax: +32 3 247 6268.
E-mail address: pdorny@itg.be (P. Dorny).
systematic meat inspection (64/433/EEC directive).
In European countries, the prevalence of bovine
cysticercosis varies between 0.007% and 6.8% (Paw-
lowski and Schultz, 1972; Cabaret et al., 2002).
Humans are the definitive host of T. saginata, and are
responsible for the dissemination of eggs in the
environment. Gravid proglottids contain 50,000–
80,000 eggs (Flisser et al., 2005). The mean daily egg
production exceeds 150,000 (Froyd and Round, 1959,
cited by Flisser et al., 2005). Humans are usually infected
by a single T. saginata tapeworm. Transmission to cattle
can occur through the contamination of pasture, fodder or
water with eggs. Direct transmission of eggs, resulting
from hand raising of suckling calves by tapeworm
carriers has been reported, but appears to be rare (Murrell,
2005). Eggs may remain viable for several weeks or
months (Ilsøe et al., 1990a). When eggs are ingested by
cattle, the oncospheres hatch, penetrate the intestinal
mucosa and migrate via the general circulation to skeletal

0304-4017/$ – see front matter # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.07.004
 Author's personal copy
P. Dorny, N. Praet / Veterinary Parasitology 149 (2007) 22–24
and cardiac muscles where they develop into cysticerci.
Cysticerci become infective to man in about 10 weeks.
They begin to degenerate within a few months after
infection, and by 9 months a substantial proportion of
them are dead and calcified (Flisser et al., 2005). Humans
acquire infection by ingesting raw or undercooked
infected beef. The tapeworm develops in the small
intestine and becomes sexually mature in about 3 months,
producing gravid proglottids, which are mobile and
either migrate from the host’s anus spontaneously or are
shed in the faeces. The tapeworm can survive in the
definitive host for several years.
In contrast to T. solium, the clinical importance of T.
saginata is very limited. The presence of the tapeworm
in the intestine can cause some abdominal discomfort,
mild diarrhoea and weight loss, however, the anal
pruritis caused by the migrating proglottids is usually
reported as the main symptom. In cattle, cysticercosis is
usually subclinical. However, bovine cysticercosis can
inflict serious economic losses to the cattle industry
(Yoder et al., 1994; Giesecke, 1997). These are mainly
due to condemnation, refrigeration and downgrading of
infected carcasses.
2. Prevalence of T. saginata taeniosis and
cysticercosis in Europe
Taeniosis is not a notifiable disease. Therefore, the
incidence of taeniosis is usually estimated from the sale
of taenicidal drugs. In Europe prevalence rates between
0.01% and 10% have been reported, with Slovakia and
Turkey reporting the highest values (Cabaret et al., 2002).
The prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in Europe is
mostly based on meat inspection reports and ranges from
0.007 to 6.8% with a wide variation between countries,
regions and abattoirs (Cabaret et al., 2002). Bovine
cysticercosis appears to be more common in eastern
European countries compared to those in North, West and
South Europe. However, few EU countries report their
data to the OIE, these data are rather fragmentary and
reliable conclusions are difficult to make. In addition,
very few studies report on the age and type of infected
animals. Dorny et al. (2000) demonstrated that sero-
prevalence of bovine cysticercosis is positively corre-
lated with increasing age. This is explained by the fact
that infection is accidental and that the risk of exposure
increases with the age of animals.
3. Epidemiology of T. saginata
Cysticerci do not resist high temperatures and dietary
habits and culinary practices affect transmission.
23
Taeniosis is more common in populations/age groups
that consume raw or undercooked beef (Murrell, 2005).
Heavy infections in cattle are rather uncommon and
are mostly associated with illegal application of sludge
from septic tanks on pasture or crops, or by
indiscriminate defecation associated with camping
and tourism (Adonajto et al., 1976; Ilsøe et al.,
1990b). In Denmark, heavy infections were also found
in animals that grazed on pastures in close proximity to
municipal sewage treatment plants (Ilsøe et al., 1990b).
Light infections are much more common. They are the
result of accidental ingestion of eggs that are found
disseminated in the environment. How these eggs are
spread from tapeworm carriers, who often live in urban
areas, to the rural areas is not well known, but it is clear
that sewage treatment plants and water streams are
pivotal. The processing of sewage sludge and the delay
between its application onto a pasture will affect the
possibility of transmission and the standard application
of sludge on pastures is not an important risk factor
(Ilsøe et al., 1990a; Cabaret et al., 2002; Moussavou-
Boussougou et al., 2005a,b). In contrast, infection of
cattle appears to be more often associated with the
effluent from sewage treatment plants (Kyvsgaard et al.,
1991). In a recent study in Belgium, the flooding of
pastures, free access of cattle to surface water and the
proximity of wastewater effluent were significant
explanatory variables for bovine cysticercosis to be
recorded in a herd (Boone et al., 2007). At the same
study, demographic pressure has also been suggested to
be a risk factor. Higher population density can increase
the risk of bovine cysticercosis.
4. Current control methods
Meat inspection is the cornerstone for control of T.
saginata. Other measures include regulations for the
treatment and use of sludge from sewage water
treatment plants. According to the EU Directive 64/
433/EEC, all bovines of over 6 weeks of age have to be
individually inspected for cysticercosis by visual
observation and by cuts in masseter muscles, tongue,
diaphragm and heart. If an animal has a generalised
infection, the carcass and offal are declared unfit for
human consumption. If the infection is localised, the
carcass has to be stored at a temperature not exceeding
10 8C for >14 days before release for human
consumption.
Many studies report on the low sensitivity of meat
inspection, resulting in an underestimation of the
prevalence of bovine cysticercosis by a factor 3–10
(Geerts et al., 1981; Kyvsgaard et al., 1990; Dorny et al.,
 Author's personal copy
24 P. Dorny, N. Praet / Veterinary Parasitology 149 (2007) 22–24
2000). This is due to the fact that most animals are
lightly infected and that only a proportion of the cysts
are located in the so-called predilection sites, i.e. heart
(15.7%) and masseter muscles (6.5%) (Kyvsgaard et al.,
1990). In addition, the success of the method is highly
dependent on the skills and the motivation of the meat
inspector and on the stage of degeneration of the
cysticerci. On the other hand, the specificity of meat
inspection is moderate to high (Geysen et al., 2007).
5. Options for improved control of T. saginata
Avariety of risk factors or practices maintain the cycle
of T. saginata. Due to its low sensitivity, meat inspection
cannot totally prevent the consumer from being infected
through ingestion of raw or undercooked beef. In
addition, current wastewater management not only fails
to halt, but rather contributes to the dissemination of eggs
in the environment. It is assumed that water streams and
surface water are potentially polluted with T. saginata
eggs. In most cases, light infection of cattle is beyond the
control of the cattle owner. Therefore, an effective control
programme has to include actions intervening at various
points of the life cycle of T. saginata. It requires an
integrated approach among all stakeholders: consumers,
medical doctors and pharmacists, meat inspectors,
veterinary practitioners and farmers (Kyvsgaard and
Murrell, 2005) and efficient coordination at national and
European levels. Finally, detection methods for bovine
cysticercosis should be improved. Serological methods,
such as the detection of circulating antigens (Ag-ELISA)
are up to ten times more sensitive than meat inspection
(Dorny et al., 2000). However, this technique only detects
infections with viable cysts, while according to current
legislation, carcasses with viable as well as degenerated
and calcified cysticerci should be condemned. In
addition, the Ag-ELISA fails to detect a substantial
number of light infections (Van Kerckhoven et al., 1998).
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