Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, commonly known as tapeworms.

Commonly known as tapeworms, cestodes are a type of parasitic worm that can be found in the gastrointestinal tract of their hosts (definitive hosts). Although most infections have been shown to occur in developing nations, these are widely distributed across the globe.

Jan 5, 2023 · A tapeworm is a parasite that can live and feed in human intestines. This is called a tapeworm infection. A young and inactive form of the tapeworm is called a larval cyst. It can stay alive in other parts of the body. This is called a larval cyst infection. A tapeworm in the intestines often causes mild symptoms.

Mar 8, 2025 · Tapeworm, any member of the invertebrate class Cestoda (phylum Platyhelminthes), a group of parasitic flatworms containing about 5,000 species. Tapeworms, which occur worldwide and range in size from about 1 mm (0.04 inch) to more than 15 m (50 feet), are internal parasites, affecting certain.

Diagnosis of infection with adult cestodes is based on identification of eggs and segments (proglottides) in feces. Larval infections are more difficult to assess; serology and biopsy are helpful.

Cestode infection is typically foodborne or acquired by accidental ingestion of invertebrate hosts. All cestodes cycle through 3 stages—eggs, larvae, and adults. Adults inhabit the intestines of definitive, or final, hosts, which are mammalian carnivores, including humans.

Jul 21, 2021 · Cestoda. Definition noun (taxonomy) A class of the phylum Platyhelminthes that is comprised of tapeworms Supplement The phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms) is comprised of parasitic worms characterized mainly by their flattened, bilaterally symmetrical body.

Jul 24, 2022 · Cestodes or tapeworms are the members of the class Cestoda of the phylum Platyhelminthes. About 6000 species of cestodes are identified as parasites and they are mainly intestinal. They are both marine and terrestrial; vertebrates are the definitive hosts and their intermediate hosts are crustaceans, insects, annelids, mollusks, etc.

Cestodes are flatworms (platyhelminths) that cause human parasitic infection in the form of intestinal tapeworms or invasive larval cysts (i.e., neurocysticercosis or echinococcosis) (see Table 291-1). Cestodes are a group of tapeworms belonging taxonomically to the class Cestoda, phylum Platyhelminthes, kingdom Animalia.

Feb 16, 2020 · Cestoda or tapeworms are the most specialized of the Platyhelminthe parasites. All cestodes have at least one, and sometimes more than one, secondary or intermediate host as well as their primary host.