Taenia saginata
Taenia saginata (synonym Taeniarhynchus saginatus), 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 (a type of helminthiasis) and cysticercosis in cattle. Cattle are the intermediate hosts, where larval development occurs, while humans are definitive hosts harbouring the adult worms. It is found globally and most prevalently where cattle are raised and beef is consumed. It is relatively common in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America. Humans are generally infected as a result of eating raw or undercooked beef which contains the infective larvae, called cysticerci. As hermaphrodites, each body segment called proglottid has complete sets of both male and female reproductive systems. Thus, reproduction is by self-fertilisation. From humans, embryonated eggs, called oncospheres, are released with faeces and are transmitted to cattle through contaminated fodder. Oncospheres develop inside muscle, liver, and lungs of cattle into infective cysticerci.

"T. saginata" has a strong resemblance to the other human tapeworms, such as "Taenia asiatica" and "Taenia solium", in structure and biology, except for few details. It is typically larger and longer, with more proglottids, more testes, and higher branching of the uteri. It also lacks an armed scolex unlike other "Taenia". Like the other tapeworms, it causes taeniasis inside the human intestine, but does not cause cysticercosis. Its infection is relatively harmless and clinically asymptomatic.
Q182672
zoonotic
Concept
Q159715
tapeworm
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Q36602
order
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Q134393
Cyclophyllidea
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Q310997
"Taenia"
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Q475510
intestinal parasite
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Q1475667
taeniasis
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Q578994
helminthiasis
Concept
Q830
cattle
Concept
Q192628
beef
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Q15
Africa
LOC
Q46
Europe
LOC
Q11708
Southeast Asia
LOC
Q771405
South Asia
LOC
Q12585
Latin America
LOC
Q303479
hermaphrodite
Concept
Q159715
proglottid
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Q7895
reproductive system
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Q8271738
self-fertilisation
Concept
Q1048687
muscle
Concept
Q9368
liver
Concept
Q7886
lungs
Concept
Q1149020
cysticerci
MISC
Q2580984
Taenia asiatica
Concept
Q565708
Taenia solium
Concept
Q9384
testes
Concept
Q9612
uteri
Concept
Q159715
scolex
Concept
Q246068
cysticercosis
Concept
Q1707292
asymptomatic
Concept
Q773607
Taenia saginata
Concept
parent taxon
subclass of
natural product of taxon