Definition of Tapeworm. Meaning of Tapeworm. Synonyms of Tapeworm
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Definition of Tapeworm
Tapeworm Tapeworm Tape"worm`, n. (Zo["o]l.)
Any one of numerous species of cestode worms belonging to
T[ae]nia and many allied genera. The body is long, flat, and
composed of numerous segments or proglottids varying in
shape, those toward the end of the body being much larger and
longer than the anterior ones, and containing the fully
developed sexual organs. The head is small, destitute of a
mouth, but furnished with two or more suckers (which vary
greatly in shape in different genera), and sometimes, also,
with hooks for adhesion to the walls of the intestines of the
animals in which they are parasitic. The larv[ae] (see
Cysticercus) live in the flesh of various creatures, and
when swallowed by another animal of the right species develop
into the mature tapeworm in its intestine. See Illustration
in Appendix.
Note: Three species are common parasites of man: the pork
tapeworm (T[ae]nia solium), the larva of which is
found in pork; the beef tapeworm (T.
mediocanellata), the larva of which lives in the flesh
of young cattle; and the broad tapeworm
(Bothriocephalus latus) which is found chiefly in the
inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Europe and
Asia. See also Echinococcus, Cysticercus,
Proglottis, and 2d Measles, 4.
