ABSTRACT
The genus Taenia (derived from Greek tainia, meaning “ribbon,” “bandage,” or “stripe”) covers a group of tapeworms whose ribbon-like adult resides in the intestines of carnivore or omnivore (causing intestinal taeniasis), and whose cyst-like larva (metacestode) lives in the internal organs of herbivores or omnivores, including humans (causing cysticercosis or neurocysticercosis). Of the 45 Taenia species described to date, three (i.e., Taenia solium [pork tapeworm], Taenia saginata [beef tapeworm], and Taenia asiatica [Asian tapeworm]) are linked to human diseases. Specifically, while these three tapeworms are associated with largely asymptomatic intestinal taeniasis in humans, T. solium is responsible for cysticercosis (cysticercus cellulosae) in pigs as well as humans, T. saginata for cysticercosis (cysticercus bovis) in cattle, and T. asiatica for cysticercosis (cysticercus viscerotropica) in pigs (Table 65.1).
