conuly

More than I needed to know about tapeworms

And then, of course, this sets off a set of dying important questions - what's a tapeworm's lifespan? If you get infected (is that the word?) by a tapeworm, does it ever go away sans treatment? Why do people get so squicked out by parasites? We don't believe that getting a cold is a sign that our deity hates us or that we're unclean, so why do we think that people'll judge us if our kid gets lice or (apparently) worms?

Most patients don't experience any of these symptoms. You probably wouldn't know you had an infection unless you found stray worm segments—called "proglottids"—swimming in your stool.

What?

So does this mean that if you're not showing symptoms, it's probably harmless because it's not harming you? Does this mean that I could be infected (and uninsured) right now?

Oh dear.

And all the time, I'm remembering an article I read a while back about how a lack of benign parasites seems to be correlated with an increase in autoimmune disorders. So I have that to think about at the dentist. Joy.