The longest tapeworm found in a human was 82 feet long and caused by consuming raw or undercooked meat. Tapeworms can live in their host for over 25 years and can cause digestive problems or bacterial infections. 20 million people worldwide are infected with tapeworms.
The longest tapeworm ever found inside a human was one of the species Diphyllobothrium latum and was 82 feet (25 m) long. A tapeworm is a parasite that can live in the small intestine of some animals, and Diphyllobothrium latum species has the ability to grow rapidly, at a rate of 0.4 inch (1 cm) every hour. The parasite makes its way into the human body when a person eats raw or undercooked meat from an animal that has ingested tapeworm eggs, which can also be found in the animal’s muscles. Once inside the human body, the tapeworm lives inside the small intestine. A tapeworm infection often doesn’t cause any symptoms, but it can cause abdominal or digestive problems or an invasive bacterial infection.
Read more about tapeworm:
About 20 million people worldwide are infected with tapeworms at any given time.
A tapeworm can live inside its host for 25 years or more.
Researchers have uncovered evidence of tapeworms in fossilized shark feces estimated to be 270 million years old.
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