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Spotlight: A Tape Worm Under the Electron Microscope

A tape worm is a parasite that lives in the gut. Humans become infected by this organism after consuming food that either contains tapeworm eggs or from drinking contaminated water. There’s also coming into contact with animal feces, among other things. The adult tapeworm has a head, neck and chain of segments known as proglottids. These proglottids contain both female and male reproductive organs. Once this horrific beast holes up in a host (which it can do for 30 years) it can grow anywhere between six and twenty-two feet long. In humans, they’re known to cause loss of appetite, belly pain, dizziness, nausea and more.