Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
What stage of the Taenia solium tapeworm lifecycle would you expect to find living in a pig?
A
Proglottid.
B
Worm.
C
Cysticercus.
D
Scolex.
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the lifecycle of Taenia solium, which involves different stages including the egg, oncosphere, cysticercus (larval stage), scolex, proglottid, and adult worm.
Identify the host roles: pigs act as the intermediate host, while humans are the definitive host where the adult worm resides.
Recall that in the pig (intermediate host), the larval stage called the cysticercus develops after ingestion of eggs; this stage forms cysts in pig tissues.
Recognize that the scolex is the head region of the adult tapeworm, which attaches to the intestine of the definitive host (humans), not found in pigs.
Therefore, the stage expected to be found living in a pig is the cysticercus, the larval cyst form, rather than the scolex or proglottid.