How a does a human gets infected by tapeworms?
Humans can be parasitized through ingestion of poorly prepared meat (like beef, pork, and fish), drinking contaminated water, or direct contact with infected feces. In fact, humans are the prime hosts of most tapeworm infections. It is during the embryo stage that the parasite is most dangerous to humans because a serious infection called cysticercosis can develop. Cysticercosis is an infection that happens when you ingest the eggs of a ‘pork tapeworm’. The ingestion takes place when the eggs find their way to food or water supply. For example, a cow is found by tapeworm embryos, these embryos form a sac somewhere inside the cow and does not leave until it is eaten by another host (usually humans). This is the most common way of ingesting pork tapeworms. Another way of being infected is through ‘autoinfection’, when you accidentally put into your mouth your contaminated hands (through your own feces). Neurocysticercosis, a type of cysticercosis, happens when the embryo of a tapeworm af
