Cestoda (tape-worm)

The parasitic worms, or helminths, of human beings belong to two phyla:
(1) Platyhelminthes (flatworms) lack a true body cavity (celom) and are characteristically flat in dorsoventral section. All medically important species belong to the classes Cestoda (tapeworms) and Trematoda (flukes).
(2) Nemathelminthes : worm-like, separate-sexed, unsegmented roundworms.
Cestoda (tape-worm): ex.Taenia
T. solium (the pork tapeworm)
T. saginata (the beef tapeworm)
Tapeworms are parasites of the intestinal tract whose simple life cycle requires at least one intermediate host, consists of two parts:-
1. Scolex: a rounded head. The scolex has specialized means of attaching to the intestinal wall, namely suckers, hooks, or sucking grooves.
2. Proglottids (a flat body of multiple segments). The worm grows by adding new proglottids from its germinal center next to the scolex. The oldest proglottids at the distal end are gravid and produce many eggs, which are excreted in the feces and transmitted to various intermediate hosts such as cattle, pigs, and fish.