What is the most common kind of tapeworm infection?

The dwarf tapeworm or Hymenolepis nana is the most common tapeworm infection diagnosed in the in the United States and throughout the world. Infection is diagnosed in children, in persons living in institutional settings, and in people who live in areas where sanitation and personal hygiene is inadequate.

How did I get infected?

One can get infected by accidentally ingesting tapeworm eggs. This can happen by ingesting fecally contaminated foods and water, by touching your mouth with contaminated fingers, or by ingesting contaminated soil.

Adult tapeworms are very small in comparison with other tapeworms and may reach 15-40 mm (up to 2 inches) in length. The adult tapeworm is made up of many small segments, called proglottids (pro-GLOT-ids). As the tapeworm matures inside the intestines, these segments break off and pass into the stool. An adult tapeworm can live for 4-6 weeks. However, once you are infected, the dwarf tapeworm may cause auto infection (the tapeworm may reproduce inside the body) and continue the infection.