Tag: tape worms
Tapeworm in Man’s Brain Found to be Cause of Headaches
No one likes a headache, and each kind of headache is bad in its own way, but you would probably be especially disturbed if your headache was caused by a parasitic worm crawling around your brain for several years. Such was the fate of a British man who recently found out that a one centimeter tapeworm (more precisely, Spirometra erinaceieuropaei) has been living in his brain for the past four years.
Long, Skinny Worms: Horsehair Worm or Tapeworm?
We recently received several photos of a fairly long, skinny worm that a reader found in his backyard. We have received many questions about long, skinny worms, and every time we do our first thought is that the reader has found a horsehair worm (sometimes incorrectly written “horse hair worms”), as horsehair worms are indeed long and skinny. With respect to our present reader’s question, we also think there is a good chance he found a horsehair worm. However, the reader specifically asked about tapeworms (which is also incorrectly spelled frequently – as “tape worms”) and was wondering if the creature he found could “burrow” into a body. So, we’ll address the reader’s concerns concurrently, explaining why we think he found a horsehair worm (and not a tapeworm), and in so explaining it will be clear why there is no need to worry about this worm burrowing into a body.
Tape Worms in Dogs
At three feet, the tape worm can have as many as 90 segments. These segments look like grains of rice.
The Tapeworm
Tapeworm can infect any mammal, including humans. Fortunately it is not usually serious, and is readily treated.
