Hymenolepis Nana MOST COMMON tapeworm- only 25-44mm

http://www.animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hymenolep...


The adults of the dwarf tapeworm are 25 to 40 mm in length and 1 mm in width (Lapage, 1951). This tapeworm is transparent.



Hymenolepis nana is the most common cestode parasite of humans in the world (Roberts and Janovy, 2000). It lodges itself in the intestines and absorbs nutrients from the intestinal lumen (Cameron, 1956). In human adults, the tapeworm is more of a nuisance than a health problem, but in small children, many H. nana can be dangerous. Usually it is the larva of this tapeworm that causes the most problem in children (Lapage, 1951). The larva will burrow into the walls of the intestine, if there are enough tapeworms in the child, severe damage can be inflicted. This is done by absorbing all the nutrition from the food the child eats (Lapage, 1951). Usually a single tapeworm will not cause any danger, but in small children, many tapeworms can become a problem (Lapage, 1951). Hymenolepis nana usually will not cause deaths unless in extreme circumstances and usually in young children or in people who have weakened immune systems. In some parts of the world, individuals that are heavily infected are a result of internal autoinfection (Olsen, 1974). (Cameron, 1956; Lapage, 1951; Olsen, 1974; Roberts and Janovy Jr., 2000)


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