A tapeworm four meters long … That’s what @Sylevinestbon, a medical laboratory technician, reports having seen, supporting photos on his Twitter account.

This worm, a Taenia saginata or Taenia solium, was in the digestive tract of a 26 year old man who had “ate a steak tartare“.

A sufficiently rare event in the lab, a whole Tapeworm (Tapeworm).

Male, 26 years old, “Eating a steak tartare, he is 2 weeks old”, No treatment.

Tapeworm saginata or solium. Of 4.10m, but the head absent (Not picked up or not brought)
1/3 pic.twitter.com/XuT7XJJoKb

– Sylevinestbon (@Sylevinestbon) June 23, 2021

“Cook your meats well”

The head of the parasite was “absent“, specifies the technician who does not know if it did not unhook or was not brought by the patient.”As the head is not present, the patient may still be affected. He was of course put on treatment by his GP (general practitioner, editor’s note) “.

“If you don’t want to have this kind of companion: cook your meats well “ advises the laboratory technician who recalls in fact that most contamination by a tapeworm comes from undercooked meat, mainly beef (Taenia saginata) and pork (Taenia solium).

A risk of weight loss

Usually, symptoms start two months after infection. Rings of the worm are emitted in the stool and can be found in underwear. You must then immediately consult a doctor who will prescribe a deworming treatment.

If the presence of this parasite is not treated, the worm can lead to stomach aches and even weight loss.