Question

Secondary host of Taenia solium is
(a) Cow
(b) Sheep
(c) Pig
(d) Human

Answer 1

Taenia solium is a parasitic flatworm that completes its life cycle in two hosts. In its primary host, it sexually reproduces while in its secondary host it undergoes a series of its asexual forms after hatching from the egg.

Complete answer:
Taenia solium belongs to the phylum Platyhelminthes. It is a parasite that completes its life cycle in two hosts. The adults of Taenia solium are parasites in the small intestine of human beings and are their primary hosts. The pig is their secondary host where the larvae of Taenia solium can be found in their skeletal muscles. They do not possess any alimentary canal and thus their nutrition is satisfied by the digested food of their hosts which diffuses through their general body surface.

Additional Information: -When any person eats undercooked or raw pork, cysts of larvae Cysticerci of Taenia solium enters. Each cyst then evaginates and develops into a young tapeworm.
-It attaches itself to the small intestine of humans via their scolex. Maturity hits after 2 months and they sexually reproduce.
-Oncospheres larvae emerge from the zygote. It is released from the body of humans via feces.
-The Oncospheres larvae enters its secondary host when pigs eat the contaminated feces. It travels through their secondary host’s striated muscle, brain, and liver. It develops into cysticercus larvae.
-Tapeworms can cause digestive problems which include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and upset stomach. Infection caused by tapeworms is known as Taeniasis.
So, the correct answer is ‘Pig.’

Note: -The intestinal infection of tapeworm can be diagnosed by analyzing the stool samples. Stool specimens are collected continuously on 3 different days and examined in the lab for Taenia eggs using a microscope.
-In complications such as cyst of larvae in the central nervous system, MRI or CT scan is performed on the patient.