humans through ingestion of undercooked, contaminated meat. The adult worms develop and reside in the intestine,
but the larval stage may migrate and be found in other body locations such as skeletal and smooth muscle. The beef
tapeworm is relatively benign, although it can cause digestive problems and, occasionally, allergic reactions. The pork
tapeworm can cause more serious problems when the larvae leave the intestine and colonize other tissues, including
those of the central nervous system.Diphylobothrium latumis the largest human tapeworm and can be ingested in
undercooked fish. It can grow to a length of 15 meters.Echinococcus granulosus,the dog tapeworm, can parasitize
humans and uses dogs as an important host.
Figure 5.23 Life cycle of a tapeworm.
What group of medically important flatworms is segmented and what group is unsegmented?Chapter 5 | The Eukaryotes of Microbiology 205