How to Discover a Tapeworm

A person can be infected with tapeworms by consuming undercooked meat from an animal that had a tapeworm; consuming tapeworm larvae can lead to developing a full adult tapeworm in the intestines, according to Medline Plus. The Mayo Clinic reports that if tapeworm eggs are consumed, the infection can spread beyond the intestines, and this is sometimes fatal. Tapeworm infection generally does not cause any symptoms, but infection can be generally be found by visual inspection.

Instructions

Detection

• 1

  Watch for signs of the tapeworm in the stool. According to the Medline, finding part of the worm in the stool is the way in which most people discover that they have tapeworm. Worm segments in feces may or may not move.

• 2

  Visit your doctor if you suspect that you have developed a tapeworm. Your doctor will ask for a stool sample and may ask you to return to give stool samples in the future in order to confirm a diagnosis, according to the Mayo Clinic. These samples are examined under a microscope to look for evidence of tapeworm.

• 3

  Undergo testing to see if tapeworm infection has spread to other parts of your body. The Mayo Clinic reports that this can be accomplished through the use of blood testing and possibly through CT scan or MRI.