Tapeworm is a tapeworm living and eating at the expense of a foreign organism. First of all, it is a parasite that invades and quietly develops in the body of fish, animals and humans. The danger is represented by the larvae of the worm, which can enter the human intestine. Selective fish, pork and beef meat are the main sources of infection.
And if in the latter it is very difficult to detect these parasites, then in the former they can be seen with the naked eye. Not all fishermen throw such a catch. It is believed that this worm is not dangerous to humans. Is it really?
How to identify salivary fish ?
It is worth noting immediately that most parasites living in fish choose freshwater inhabitants. In Russia, it is difficult to find a reservoir completely cleared of helminths. Wastewater, as well as the presence of birds and animals, will necessarily lead to the fact that the inhabitants will be infected with one or another of their species. Selective fish is most often found in natural waters.
You can determine it by the swollen abdomen. When pressed, the tapeworm can creep out. Such fish swim on the surface. If they are caught and picked up, they will die immediately. If there are white fish in your catch, such as roach or bream, carefully inspect them before you start cutting and cooking.
To eat or not to eat?
If you find a long white flat worm, reaching a size of 20-40 cm, then, in front of you is a selector fish. And although in some sources you can find information that such a catch is possible, it is better not to risk it.
Even if you removed the worm, washed and fried the meat, there is always a risk that your hands, clothes, and cutlery will leave parasite eggs, which, when they first enter the human body, degenerate into larvae. Re-infection threatens that a long tapeworm will settle in the intestine. Selective fish, although less dangerous than beef and pork, is still its source. Whether or not to eat is up to you.
How to protect yourself from a tapeworm parasite?
A nitrite worm in fish will be detected by gutting, so it’s easiest not to consume such a catch. With the meat of animals is more difficult. Living in the intestines of mammals, adults sow a huge number of eggs. Over its entire life, the parasite is able to reproduce several million of them! These eggs go with the animal's feces to the grass. Pigs, swarming in their own mud, very quickly swallow those that, under the influence of gastric juice, turn into larvae. The latter disperse with blood flow throughout the body of the animal. Such meat is very dangerous. Poorly fried or undercooked pork is the most contagious product that can cause enormous damage to human health. The same thing happens with cattle.
Doctors recommend always frying and boiling meat. At home, this is easily done, but a trip to nature with barbecue can lead to infection. It is extremely undesirable to eat meat “with a blood”, it is better to overexpose it on fire than to receive a “reward” in the form of helminths. Smoke fish carefully. If there is a suspicion of worms, then such a product is not suitable for hot and even more so for cold smoking.
