Young man infected with 3 meter long tapeworm

A young man in Phu Tho was infected with a 3-meter-long tapeworm, suspected to be due to regularly eating raw vegetables.

The patient is AT, from Phu Tho. Mr. T. came to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases ( Hanoi ) because he was worried that he might be infected with tapeworms, after discovering white, wriggling parasite segments in his stool.

At the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, after being tested for parasites, patient T. was prescribed an enema to prepare for a colonoscopy. After the enema, a tapeworm longer than 3 m was excreted in the stool, still alive, parasitizing the intestines and colon.

Male patient passes 3m long tapeworm after colonic enema

PHOTO: THANH DANG

The patient said he had a habit of eating raw vegetables and had not been dewormed for a long time. He suspected he was infected with tapeworms due to eating unsanitary raw vegetables containing tapeworm eggs. Before going to the doctor, for many months he had often had abdominal pain when defecating, accompanied by constipation and fecal incontinence.

Regarding the above case, Dr. Le Nguyen Minh Hoa, chief technician (Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases), said that after receiving the sample, through initial observation, the technicians suspected that this was a beef tapeworm (taenia saginata).

However, according to Dr. Hoa, it is still necessary to accurately identify the species of worm, to distinguish it from pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), so it is necessary to collect the head of the worm, which is the part that carries the identifying characteristics. Therefore, the patient will have to take a laxative to excrete the entire worm, including the head.

To treat tapeworm infection, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Center for Medical Examination and Treatment on Demand (Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases), said that after the identification results are available, the patient will be prescribed specific treatment by the doctor.

Depending on the type of worm and the severity of the infection, the doctor may prescribe specific medication, combined with laxatives to expel the worm.

After treatment, the patient needs to be monitored with periodic stool tests for several weeks to several months to ensure that the worms have been completely eliminated, with no remaining eggs or segments in the intestines.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nam-thanh-nien-nhiem-san-day-dai-3-m-185250701154916432.htm