Tapeworms are hermaphroditic; each segment has two sets of male and female reproductive organs, which will fill the segment with fertile eggs as the segment is pushed back from the neck. When the segment is full of eggs, it detaches itself from the adult tapeworm and is passed in the feces (Figure 40).
What happens when tapeworm eggs are released?
Occasionally they can be seen moving on the hairs around the anus, or more commonly, on the surface of freshly passed feces. As the proglottid dries, it becomes a golden color and eventually breaks open, releasing the fertilized eggs into the environment. A proglottid may contain as many as 20 tapeworm eggs.
How does a tapeworm reproduce?
Tapeworms are hermaphroditic , so that each proglottid includes both male and female gonads and generates both sperm and eggs. A tapeworm can reproduce sexually, either through self-fertilization or cross-fertilization with another tapeworm, or asexually, by breaking off proglottid segments at the end of the trunk.
How often do tapeworms release eggs?
The adult tapeworms produce proglottids that mature, detach, and migrate to the anus and are then passed in the feces. T. saginata tapeworms are usually 4-12 m in length, but can grow to be 25 m; the adult tapeworms produce 1,000 to 2,000 proglottids/ worm and may produce up to 100,000 eggs per worm. T.
Where are tapeworm eggs expelled?
The adult tapeworm consists of a head (scolex), where the worms attaches itself to the mucosa of the intestine; a neck; and a segmented body that contains both male gonads and female gonads (proglottids). Mature tapeworms shed segments, which are expelled with the feces. These segments are packed with eggs.
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