When people think of parasites, they usually visualize tapeworms. Living entirely on their human hosts, a single tapeworm can grow as long as 12 feet (nearly 4 meters) in the colon. People who have tapeworms may feel bad, and not know why, even as the worm inside them (which conveniently has both male and female sex organs) generates thousands of eggs to infect the rest of the family.

The kind of tapeworm you are most likely to encounter in the United States, Taenia solium, might just make you feel a little anemic, unless it migrates into your brain and goes into a hard, cystic hibernation phase. The kind of tapeworm most likely to cause infection in tropical Africa and Latin America, Taenia saginata, might even wriggle out and make itself visible. And these are not even the worst species of tapeworms. Fortunately, there are several reliable steps you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your family from tapeworms.

Latin American tapeworm.

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