taenia asiatica , commonly known as asian taenia or asian tapeworm , is a parasitic tapeworm of humans and pigs .

it is one of the three species of taenia infecting humans and causes taeniasis .

discovered only in 1980s from taiwan and other east asian countries as an unusual species , it is so notoriously similar to taenia saginata , the beef tapeworm , that it was for a time regarded as a slightly different strain .

but anomaly arose as the tapeworm is not of cattle origin , but of pigs .

morphological details also showed significant variations , such as presence of rostellar hooks , shorter body , and less number of body segments .

the scientific name designated was then asian t. saginata .

but the taxonomic consensus turns out to be that it is a unique species .

it was in 1993 that two korean parasitologists , keeseon s. eom and han jong rim , provided the biological bases for classifying it into a separate species .

the use of mitochondrial genome sequence and molecular phylogeny in the late 2000s established the taxonomic status .

t. asiatica causes intestinal taenisis in humans and cysticercosis in pigs .

there is a suspicion that it may also cause cysticercosis in human .

like other taenids , humans are the definitive hosts , but in contrast , pigs , wild boars , as well as cattle can serve as intermediate hosts .

moreover , scid mice and mongolian gerbil can be experimentally infected .

the life cycle is basically similar to those of other taenids .

humans contract the infection by eating raw or undercooked meat – a practice common in east and southeast asia – which are contaminated with the infective larva called cysticercus .

cysticercus develops into adult tapeworm in human intestine , from where it releases embryonated eggs along faeces into the external environment .

pigs acquire the eggs from vegetation .

the eggs enter the digestive tract , which they penetrate to migrate to other body organs .

unlike other taenia they preferentially settle in the liver , where they form cysticerci .

asian taeniasis is documented in nine countries in asia , including taiwan , south korea , indonesia , the philippines , thailand , south-central china , vietnam , japan and nepal .

the rate of a prevalence is estimated to be up to 21 % and resulting in annual economic losses of about us$ 40,000,000 in these regions .

praziquantel is the drug of choice for treating the infection .

as the latest addition to human taeniasis , misidentified for over two centuries , still complete lack of systematic diagnosis , and no control programmes , it is regarded as the most neglected human taenid .

taenia asiatica

developmental stages of taenia spp . ( taenia solium , taenia saginata , taenia asiatica ) and associated diseases .
geographical origin of the 6 taenia saginata and 13 taenia asiatica samples analyzed a .
three tapeworm species cause taeniasis in humans , taenia solium , taenia saginata and taenia asiatica . only t . solium causes major health problems .
taeniasis is an intestinal infection caused by 3 species of tapeworm : taenia solium ( pork tapeworm ) , taenia saginata ( beef tapeworm ) and taenia asiatica .
taenia solium , taenia saginata , taenia asiatica , their hybrids and other helminthic infections occurring in a neglected tropical diseases ' highly endemic area in lao pdr .
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the life cycle of taenia asiatica is complex . eggs or gravid . . .
morphological description of taenia saginata asiatica ( cyclophyllidea : taeniidae ) from man in asia .
lights and shadows of the taenia asiatica life cycle and pathogenicity . - pubmed - ncbi
no one has contributed data records for taenia asiatica yet . learn how to contribute .
ebscohost | 92947864 | lights and shadows of the taenia asiatica life cycle and pathogenicity .
taenia asiatica and taenia saginata : genetic divergence estimated from their mitochondrial genomes . jeon hk , et al . exp parasitol 2006 may
morphologic and genetic identification of taenia tapeworms in tanzania and dna genotyping of taenia solium .
[ first discovery of taenia saginata asiatica infection in yunnan province ] . - pubmed - ncbi
taenia saginata asiatica : epidemiology , infection , immunological and molecular studies . - pubmed - ncbi
three species of the taenia genus are intestinal parasites of humans , taenia solium , taenia saginata and taenia asiatica . however , only two of them , t . solium and t . saginata , have been considered for centuries , t . asiatica remained undiscovered until recently . [ 1 ]
the cestode taenia asiatica ( asian tapeworm ) ( along with t . saginata [ beef . . .
[ survey of the number of eggs in taenia asiatica gravid proglottids in dali prefecture of yunnan province ] .
morphological description of taenia saginata asiatica ( cyclophyllidea : taeniidae ) from man in asia . - pubmed - ncbi
complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of taenia saginata : comparison with t . solium and t . asiatica .
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life cycle of taenia spp .
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the cestodes taenia saginata ( beef tapeworm ) , t . solium ( pork tapeworm ) and t . asiatica ( asian tapeworm ) . taenia solium can also cause cysticercosis .
taenia is an important pathogenic tapeworm genus including some important parasites such as taenia solium , taenia saginata and taenia asiatica , etc . members of the genus are responsible for taeniasis and cysticercosis in humans and other livestocks . till now , more than 100 species were recorded . taenia is morphologically characterized by a ribbon - like body composed of a series of segments called proglottids ; hence the name taenia .
molecular analyses reveal two geographic and genetic lineages for tapeworms , taenia solium and taenia saginata , from ecuador using mitochondrial dna .
[ survey of the number of eggs in taenia asiatica gravid proglottids in dali prefecture of yunnan province ] . - pubmed - ncbi
a taenia asiatica patient , mr . chen chin - fu , with 24 strobilae that were purged from him after using atabrine .
10 . jeon hk , eom ks . taenia asiatica and taenia saginata : genetic divergence estimated from their mitochondrial genomes . exp parasitol 2006 ; 113 : 58 - 61 . pmid : 16546174 .
a volunteer , dr . chung wc , trying to infect himself with taenia asiatica by eating raw wild boar liver that contained cysticerci .
13 . eom ks , rim hj . epidemiological understanding of taenia tapeworm infections with special reference to taenia asiatica in korea . korean j parasitol 2001 ; 39 : 267 - 283 . pmid : 11775327 .
19 . eom ks , rim hj . epidemiological understanding of taenia tapeworm infections with special reference to taenia asiatica in korea . korean j parasitol 2001 ; 39 : 267 - 283 . pmid : 11775327 .
complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of taenia saginata : comparison with t . solium and t . asiatica . | ghl - scientific and technical literature
since the 1990s , various researchers have developed and applied molecular methods for distinguishing t . asiatica from other taenia spp . , and , subsequently , for studying the relationship of t . asiatica with other taenia spp . , in particular t . saginata , and for examining the genetic variability within t . asiatica . the availability of the complete mitochondrial genome of t . asiatica [ 27 ] , and the access to published sequences through genbank , has greatly contributed to the understanding of the genetic diversity of t . asiatica .
species that can affect animals and humans include tapeworms in the taenia genus . different types of taenia are associated with different types of meat . taenia saginata is the beef tapeworm ; taenia solium is the pork tapeworm ; and taenia asiatica is the asian pork tapeworm . dipylidium caninum mainly infects dogs and cats , while echinocococcus granulosus , which infects people and livestock , is rare in the united states . taenia species are longer than dipylidium species ; they can grow up to 1 yard ( nearly a meter ) in length .
taenia saginata and t . solium are worldwide in distribution . taenia solium is more prevalent in poorer communities where humans live in close contact with pigs and eat undercooked pork . taenia asiatica is limited to asia and is seen mostly in the republic of korea , china , taiwan , indonesia , and thailand .
non - protease homologues in the t . asiatica and t . saginata genomes .
not only taenia solium and taenia saginata , but also taenia asiatica infects humans . the last species is not included in the evaluation of the specificity of the immunodiagnostic techniques for taeniasis / cysticercosis . there is currently no specific immunodiagnostic method for t . asiatica available . therefore , due to the fact that molecular techniques ( the only tool to distinguish the 3 taenia species ) are normally not employed in routine diagnostic methods , the 2 questions concerning t . asiatica ( its definite geographic distribution and its ability to cause human cysticercosis ) , remain open , turning t . asiatica into the most neglected agent of human taeniasis - cysticercosis .
before exposing the lights and shadows of t . asiatica , it would be worthwhile to briefly summarize some historical and phylogenetic remarks on the three human taenia species .
complete sequence and structure of the mitochondrial genome of the human tapeworm , taenia asiatica ( platyhelminthes ; cestoda ) . jeon hk , et al . parasitology 2005 jun
humans are definitive hosts of two well - known species of the taenia genus , taenia solium ( the pig tapeworm ) and taenia saginata ( the cattle tapeworm ) . in the 1990s , a third species , taenia asiatica , was discovered , sharing features with the other two since the adult morphology is similar to that of t . saginata , but its life cycle is like that of t . solium…
coenurosis ( taenia multiceps , t . serialis , or t . brauni infection )
harrison ljs , delgado j , parkhouse rme . differential diagnosis of taenia sagianta and
taeniasis in humans is a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm species taenia saginata ( beef tapeworm ) , taenia solium ( pork tapeworm ) , and taenia asiatica ( asian tapeworm ) . humans can become infected with these tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked beef ( t . saginata ) or pork ( t . solium and t . asiatica ) . people with taeniasis typically have mild gastrointestinal symptoms or may be asymptomatic .
the number of eggs in different gravid proglottids of t . asiatica is evidently different .
with the advent of molecular techniques , it became clear that the asian taenia is genetically much more related to t . saginata than it is to t . solium [ 13 - 17 ] . this led the earlier protagonists to declare the asian taenia as a strain or subspecies of t . saginata , designated taenia saginata taiwanensis , or , in line with its geographical distribution , taenia saginata asiatica [ 18 ] .
5 . eom ks , rim hj . morphologic descriptions of taenia asiatica sp . n . korean j parasitol 1993 ; 31 : 1 - 6 . pmid : 8512894 .
18 . eom ks , rim hj . morphologic descriptions of taenia asiatica sp . n . korean j parasitol 1993 ; 31 : 1 - 6 . pmid : 8512894 .
it was determined to examine whether rats injected with non - viable oncospheres of asian taenia or taenia saginata became resistant to challenge infection with eggs of taenia taeniaeformis , since ( a ) metacestodes of asian taenia and t . taeniaeformis develop in the liver of pigs and rats , respectively , and ( b ) asian taenia and t . saginata have human origins . rats injected intravenously or . . . [ show full abstract ]
eom ks , rim hj . epidemiological understanding of taenia tapeworm infections with special reference to
taenia infections . institute for international cooperation in animal biologics . 2005 ( . pdf )
evidence on the epidemiology and genetic diversity of t . asiatica was obtained through a systematic search of national and international peer - reviewed literature . given the relatively limited number of papers on t . asiatica , a general search phrase was used consisting of the different synonyms of t . asiatica , i . e . , taenia saginata asiatica , asian taenia and taiwan taenia . manuscript titles were retrieved through searching pubmed , asia journals online ( asiajol ) , african journals online ( ajol ) , latin american journals online ( lamjol ) , who global health library , and indmed . the searches were performed on 20 september 2013 .
go enrichment analysis of heterozygous genes in the t . asiatica and t . saginata genomes .
taeniasis in humans is a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm species taenia saginata ( beef tapeworm ) , taenia solium ( pork tapeworm ) , and taenia asiatica ( asian tapeworm ) . humans can become infected with these tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked beef ( t . saginata ) or pork ( t . solium and t . asiatica ) . people with taeniasis may not know they have a tapeworm infection because symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent .
the cestode taenia asiatica , also known as asian taenia or asian tapeworm , is a parasite of humans and pigs that is thought to be restricted to asia . humans contract infection by eating eating raw or undercooked meat and this causes intestinal taeniasis which is usually asymptomatic .
in the early 1990s , a group of korean parasitologists , led by dr keeseon eom , performed various experimental infections using korean specimens of the asian taenia . their observation that the cysts of the asian taenia preferably develop in viscera of pigs , made them propose the name cysticercus viscerotropica [ 11 ] . in 1993 , they described the morphology of the asian taenia , and declared it as a new species , designated taenia asiatica [ 12 ] .
2 . flisser a , craig ps , ito a . in palmer sr , soulsby l , torgerson pr , brown dwg eds , cysticercosis and taeniosis : taenia solium , taenia saginata and taenia asiatica . oxford textbook of zoonoses , biology , clinical practice and public health control . 2011 , oxford , uk . oxford university press . pp 627 - 644 .
complexities in using sentinel pigs to study taenia solium transmission dynamics under field conditi . . .
identification of species and genetic variation in taenia isolates from human and swine of north india .
30 . eom ks , jeon hk , rim hj . geographical distribution of taenia asiatica and related species . korean j parasitol 2009 ; 47 : s115 - s124 . pmid : 19885327 .
29 . rim hj , joo kh , park hs . anthelmintic effect of albendazole against taenia saginata and taenia solium infections . j korean soc chemother 1989 ; 7 : 29 - 39 .
t _ asiatica _ south _ korea _ v1 _ 0 _ 4 , gca _ 000951535 . 1
cross - sections of taenia spp . stained with hematoxylin and eosin ( h & e ) .
cross protection against taenia taeniaeformis in rats vaccinated with non - viable oncospheres of asia . . .
of the 32 recognized species of taenia , only taenia solium and taenia saginata are medically important . however , recent epidemiologic studies in southeast asia have identified a third taenia species in humans , known as t asiatica . [ 1 , 2 ] cysticercosis is the development of extraintestinal encysted larval forms of t solium in various organs ( see cysticercosis ) . the cns is involved in 60 - 90 % of cases ; this condition is termed neurocysticercosis ( ncc ) . for more information , see neurocysticercosis .
. . . human taeniasis is acquired by eating uncooked or poorly cooked pork or beef infected with the larval form of the human taeniid tapeworms , taenia solium , or taenia asiatica ( from pigs ) , or taenia saginata ( from bovids ) ( schantz et al . , 1993 ; fan and chung , 1998 ) . the adult tapeworms grow ( 2–8 m ) in the human small intestine , with spontaneous elimination of proglottids from the anus especially for t . saginata or t . asiatica carriers . . . .
in the 1980s fan came up with the idea that the species found in several asian countries ( taiwan , korea , indonesia ) could be a new one . [ 16 ] this taenia was known as taiwan taenia or the asian taenia until , in 1993 , when eom and rim proposed to definitely consider it a new species , namely t . asiatica . [ 1 ] lately , and due to its molecular similarities to t . saginata , fan et al . proposed considering this asian taenia as a subspecies of t . saginata , i . e . , t . saginata asiatica , [ 17 ] leading to contrary opinions on its systematic status until t . asiatica was finally considered a valid species . [ 18 ]
the in - paralog pairs showing differential evolution rates in the t . asiatica and t . saginata genomes .
potential nuclear molecular markers to differentiate t . saginata ( tsa ) and t . asiatica ( tas ) .
taenia saginata taeniasis produces only mild abdominal symptoms . the most striking feature consists of the passage ( active and passive ) of proglottids . occasionally , appendicitis or cholangitis can result from migrating proglottids . taenia solium taeniasis is less frequently symptomatic than taenia saginata taeniasis . the main symptom is often the passage ( passive ) of proglottids . the most important feature of taenia solium taeniasis is the risk of development of cysticercosis .
taenia infection has been recognized since biblical times . a detailed history on human taenia is described by grove , [ 5 ] cox , [ 6 ] or wadia and singh , [ 7 ] among others .
20 . fan pc , chung wc , lin cy , wu cc . pig as a favorable animal for taenia saginata asiatica infection . kaohsiung j med sci 2006 ; 22 : 1 - 13 . pmid : 16570562 .
20 . chung wc , lin cy , fan pc . ectopic locations of taenia saginata asiatica in the abdominal cavity of domestic pig and monkey . j parasitol 1996 ; 82 : 1032 - 1034 . pmid : 8973419 .
figure a : taenia saginata adult worm . the adult in this image is approximately 4 meters in length .
willms k . morphology and biochemistry of the pork tapeworm , taenia solium . curr top med chem . 2008
epidemiology of taenia solium in nepal : is it influenced by the social characteristics of the popula . . .
an adult taenia scolium , the pork tapeworm . humans become infected by ingesting raw or undercooked infected meat .
among taeniid tapeworms infecting humans through pork or beef , taenia solium linnaeus 1758 and taenia saginata goeze 1782 have already been known . based on the morphologic characteristics of adult and metacestodes of asian taenia saginata , the third kind of human taeniid tapeworm known to distribute in asian countries , a new species name of taenia asiatica is proposed . in addition to the known biology in their intermediate hosts , t . asiatica was different morphologically from taenia saginata goeze 1782 in having the unarmed rostellum on the scolex of adult , the large number of ' uterine twigs ' and the existence of ' posterior protuberance ' . these structures in the gravid proglottids were used as taxonomic keys in taeniid tapeworms for the first time . t . asiatica metacestode ( cysticercus viscerotropica ) was different morphologically from t . saginata metacestode ( cysticercus bovis ) in having wartlike formations on the external surface of the bladder wall .
9 . jeon hk , eom ks . complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of taenia saginata : comparison with t . solium and t . asiatica . parasitol int 2007 ; 56 : 243 - 246 . pmid : 17499016 .
taenia asiatica is a recently described species known to cause intestinal teniasis in humans and cysticercosis in animals . this species has close morphological resemblance to taenia saginata and has a life cycle resembling taenia solium , hence has been posing diagnostic dilemma and had been the reason for its comparatively late discovery . recent diagnostic tools such as serological and molecular techniques have thrown light on its exact prevalence in the endemic countries . hence introduction of utilization of these techniques in addition to the routine morphological analysis would be helpful in diagnosis of t . asiatica infections and early implementation of preventive measures .
taenia asiatica is a recently described species known to cause intestinal teniasis in humans and cysticercosis in animals . this species has close morphological resemblance to taenia saginata and has a life cycle resembling taenia solium , hence has been posing diagnostic dilemma and had been the reason for its comparatively late discovery . recent diagnostic tools such as serological and molecular techniques have thrown light on its exact prevalence in the endemic countries . hence introduction of utilization of these techniques in addition to the routine morphological analysis would be helpful in diagnosis of t . asiatica infections and early implementation of preventive measures .
go enrichment analysis of the genes containing peak - 2 introns in the t . asiatica and t . saginata genomes .
the taeenid tapeworms known to cause zoonotic infections in humans are taenia solium , taenia saginata and taenia asiatica . the first two species are well known agents causing cysticercosis and intestinal taeniasis respectively . [ 1 ] t . asiatica was discovered when epidemiological inconsistency was observed between the species ratio of tapeworms and the eating habits of hosts in south korea . [ 2 ] t . asiatica has equivocal features of t . saginata but recent deoxyribonucleic acid ( dna ) studies , molecular and epidemiologic characteristics had made the taxonomic conversion of t . saginata subsp . asiatica to the current separate species t . asiatica . t . asiatica has been identified to parasitise human intestinal lumen in eight asian countries i . e . china , korea , indonesia , philippines , taiwan , thailand , vietnam and japan , with the prevalence being as high as 21 % causing significant economic burden . [ 3 ] this unique species exhibits a morphology resembling t . saginata and life cycle resembling t . solium infection , pigs being the main intermediate host . [ 4 ] although t . asiatica is well - known to cause intestinal teniasis , less is known about its role in causation of cysticercosis in humans .
bowles j , mcmanus dp . genetic characterization of the asian taenia , a newly described taeniid cestode of humans .
9 . huang sw . studies on taenia species prevalent among the aborigines in wulai district taiwan . part ii . on the species of taenia . bull inst zool ( acad sin ) 1967 ; 6 : 29 - 34 .
taenia genome project including the genome assembly and transcriptome analysis of several taenia species was first lanched in beijing institute of genomics , cas and lanzhou veterinary research institute , caas since 2010 . taenia have relative large and complex genome . this comprehensive website is designed to help the pathogen researchers for a better use of genome information and transcriptome comparison .
taenia asiatica differs from taenia saginata and t . solium in 4 aspects [ 2 ] ; 1 ) the scolex has 2 rows of rudimentary hooklets , which is considered as a wart - like formation . 2 ) the number of the lateral branches of the uterus is different and allows identifying if the proglottids belong to t . solium ( 7 - 11 branches ) , t . saginata ( 14 - 32 branches ) , or t . asiatica ( 12 - 26 branches ) . 3 ) t . asiatica cysticerci in pigs are not found in muscles , they can be recovered from the liver , omentum , serosa , and lung . 4 ) t . asiatica does not cause ncc in humans .
however , this purely molecular view was soon contrasted to an epidemiological and public health perspective . galan - puchades and mas - coma opened the debate , and made the case for t . asiatica as a separate species [ 19 ] . the debate continued , with different phylogenetic studies considering the asian taenia either as t . saginata asiatica [ 20 , 21 ] or t . asiatica [ 22 - 27 ] , depending on the research group involved . the identification of t . saginata / t . asiatica hybrids in china and thailand [ 28 - 30 ] , may reopen this debate , as reproductive isolation has historically been an important criterion for considering t . asiatica and t . saginata as distinct biological entities [ 24 ] . although the current literature seems to favor t . asiatica at the species level , it is clear that the taxonomy of the asian taenia remains as complex and controversial as it was two decades ago [ 31 ] .
t . asiatica is still present in taiwan today but in only some aborigines who live in the mountainous areas . however , the cases are getting rarer with the improvement of rural medical health services . taenia asiatica has always been there and has come a long way for its recognition . we just need to train our eyes to see in different dimension .
4 . fan pc , lin cy , chen cc , chung wc . morphological description of taenia saginata asiatica ( cyclophyllidea : taeniidae ) from man in asia . j helminthol 1995 ; 69 : 299 - 303 . pmid : 8583124 .
17 . fan pc , lin cy , chen cc , chung wc . morphological description of taenia saginata asiatica ( cyclophyllidea : taeniidae ) from man in asia . j helminthol 1995 ; 69 : 299 - 303 . pmid : 8583124 .
1 . do humans act as intermediate hosts of t . asiatica as they do in the case of t . solium ?
both taenia and d . latum infections can be prevented by adequate cooking or freezing of beef , pork , or fish
species of taenia were among the earliest recognized helminths in humans , with written records of their occurrence extending into antiquity .
t . asiatica as a separate species was discovered relatively recently . it had been mistaken for taenia saginata goeze ( 1782 ) for more than 200 years and later was classified as subspecies of t . saginata . however , extensive epidemiological , molecular , comparative morphology and phylogenetic analyses have indicated the independent and specific status of t . asiatica ( eom & rim 1993 ) .
11 . jeon hk , chai jy , kong y , waikagul j , insisienhmay b , rim hj , eom ks . differential diagnosis of taenia asiatica using multiplex pcr . exp parasitol 2009 ; 121 : 151 - 156 . pmid : 19017531 .
23 . chang sl , ooi hk , nonaka n , kamiya m , oku y . development of taenia asiatica cysticerci to infective stage and adult stage in mongolian gerbils . j helminthol 2006 ; 80 : 219 - 223 . pmid : 16923263 .
hence , in absence of a specific immunological test for t . asiatica , only the post - mortem molecular analysis of the extracted cysticerci can be used to assess the species causing pig cysticercosis . as a consequence , t . asiatica may be misdiagnosed as t . solium not only in humans but also in pigs . therefore , any pig cysticercosis around the world diagnosed only by immunological methods could be produced also by t . asiatica , so we propose that it should be named t . solium / asiatica cysticercosis .
the cestode taenia asiatica ( asian tapeworm ) ( along with t . saginata [ beef tapeworm ] and t . solium [ pork tapeworm ] ) causes intestinal taeniasis in infected humans . taenia asiatica is limited to asia and is seen mostly in the republic of korea , china , taiwan , indonesia , and thailand . genetic studies by eom et al . ( 2009 ) indicated that t . asiatica occurs in japan , the philippines , and vietnam as well ( t . saginata and t . solium have a worldwide distribution ) . ( centers for disease control parasites and health website ) genetically , t . asiatica is far more similar to t . saginata ( to which it is also morphologically very similar ) than it is to t . solium ( jeon et al . 2007 ; eom et al . 2009 ) . taenia asiatica shares its intermediate host association ( i . e . , pigs ) with t . solium , not with its closer relative t . saginata ( which use cattle as the intermediate host ) . thus , it appears that the divergence of t . asiatica and t . sagitata was associated with a host shift .
there are three species of taenids that use humans as definitive hosts : taenia solium , t . saginata , an t . asiatica . in addition , taenia solium can also use humans as intermediate hosts causing cysticercosis . this ability makes this parasite especially important . other species of taenids circulate in wild animals and infect humans only occasionally causing cysticercoses / coenuroses as well as taenoses .
to investigate the aetiology , species and epidemiological factors of taenia infection in a pilot area of lanping county , yunnan province .
garcia hh et al . diagnosis , treatment and control of taenia solium cysticercosis . curr opin infect dis . 2003 oct .
taenia solium , t . saginata , and t . asiatica are 3 zoonotic tapeworms which induce human infections through pigs and cattle as intermediate hosts . among them , t . asiatica is the last known species found in asian countries where rural people eat undercooked visceral organs of pigs , i . e . , the liver , omentum , serosa , and lung [ 1 - 4 ] .
among coproantigen - detection methods ( only genus specific ) , a coproantigen elisa for t . solium was tested with t . asiatica but did not cross - react [ 19 ] . therefore , this is the only 100 % specific immunological method currently available to identify t . solium carriers , but not t . asiatica carriers . even a positive result for t . solium in this elisa would not exclude t . asiatica since dual human infection with t . solium and t . asiatica has been reported in thailand [ 10 ] .
life cycles of the 3 human taenia tapeworms ( this figure has been modified from fig . 1 . 2 of flisser et al . , biology of taenia solium , t . saginata , and t . asiatica . in murrell kd ed , who / fao / oie guidelines for the surveillance , prevention , and control of taeniosis / cysticercosis . 2005 , pp 1 - 9 ) .
ohnishi k , sakamoto n , kobayashi k , iwabuchi s , nakamura - uchiyama f . therapeutic effect of praziquantel against taeniasis asiatica .
t . asiatica is limited to asia and is seen mostly in the republic of korea , china , taiwan , indonesia and thailand .
6 . zarlenga ds , george m . taenia crassiceps : cloning and mapping of mitochondrial dna and its application to the phenetic analysis of a new species of taenia from southeast asia . exp parasitol 1995 ; 81 : 604 - 607 . pmid : 8543003 .
garcía hh at al . taenia solium cysticercosis . lancet . 2003 aug 16 ; 362 ( 9383 ) : 547 - 56 .
studies on the diversification times of the different taenia species indicate that t . asiatica fully diverged from a common t . saginata / asiatica ancestor in the late pleistocene , ~ 40 , 000 years ago . this diversification might have co - occurred with the arrival of homo sapiens in asia , and the introduction of new wild boar populations and / or new breeding and husbandry practices in this region [ 63 , 95 ] . again , these results indicate a closer relatedness of t . asiatica with t . saginata than with t . solium .
8 . jeon hk , lee kh , kim kh , hwang uw , eom ks . complete sequence and structure of mitochondrial genome of the human tapeworm , taenia asiatica ( platyhelminthes ; cestoda ) . parasitology 2005 ; 130 : 717 - 726 . pmid : 15977909 .
geographical information of taenia asiatica is reviewed together with that of t . solium and t . saginata . current distribution of t . asiatica was found to be mostly from asian countries : the republic of korea , china , taiwan , indonesia , and thailand . molecular genotypic techniques have found out more countries with t . asiatica from japan , the philippines , and vietnam . specimens used in this paper were collected from around the world and mostly during international collaboration projects of korean foundations for parasite control activities ( 1995 - 2009 ) in developing countries .
31 . flisser a . in farthing mjg , keusch gt , walekin d eds , taenia solium , taenia saginata and hymenolepis nana . enteric infections . 2 : intestinal helminths . 1995 , london , uk . chapman and hall medical . pp 173 - 189 .
further experimental studies on t . saginata - like tapeworms from south korea , indonesia , thailand , and the philippines showed similar results , leading the authors to rename their taiwan taenia into asian taenia , denoting its more diverse geographical distribution [ 7 - 10 ] .
t . asiatica is generally neglected in the global elimination context of human taeniasis - cysticercosis . we assume that t . asiatica remains ignored mainly for 2 reasons ; first , its supposedly non - cosmopolitan character , being restricted to asian countries , and second , its close molecular similarities to t . saginata , suggesting that t . asiatica probably does not cause human cysticercosis since t . saginata eggs do not infect humans .
figure c : iodine - stained wet mount of a taenia sp . egg . image courtesy of the oregon state public health laboratory .
figure d : iodine - stained wet mount of a taenia sp . egg . image courtesy of the oregon state public health laboratory .
eom ks . what is asian taenia ? parasitol int . 2006 ; 55 suppl : s137 - 41 . epub 2006 jan 4 .
avila g et al . laboratory animal models for human taenia solium . parasitol int . 2006 ; 55 suppl : s99 - s103 .
taenia solium tapeworm infections can lead to cysticercosis , which is a disease that can cause seizures , so it is important seek treatment .
only 2 types of taeniases ( t . saginata and t . solium ) were recognized morphologically in korea up to 1992 until t . asiatica being newly described in 1993 as the third type . the prevalence of taeniasis in korea was considered to be caused only by infection with t . saginata or t . solium until eom and rim revised the identification of the korean taenia tapeworms to establish a new species , t . asiatica [ 1 ] . in order to understand distribution of human taenia tapeworms in korea , 68 taenia specimens were analyzed by morphology and nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cox1 gene and its2 region . the distribution ratio of t . solium : t . asiatica : t . saginata was 3 : 51 : 14 ( or approximately 1 : 18 : 5 ) from 9 provinces in korea between 1935 and 2005 [ 37 ] .
t . asiatica has been misdiagnosed as t . saginata for more than 200 years in asia [ 16 ] and the same might currently occur in the rest of the world , since the morphology of t . asiatica ' s gravid proglottids is practically indistinguishable from that of t . saginata .
the remainder of this systematic review will provide an update of our current understanding of the transmission , risk factors , geographical distribution and genetic diversity of t . asiatica . for a review on the history , taxonomy and morphology of t . asiatica , we refer to eom [ 32 ] .
due to ( i ) the alomst impossibility to distinguish the morphology of t . asiatica and t . saginata gravid proglottids , ( ii ) current immunodiagnostic techniques that can not identify t . asiatica ( adult / cysticerci ) carriers ( humans or pigs ) , and ( iii ) the fact that molecular techniques ( the only tool to distinguish the 3 taenia species ) are normally not employed in routine diagnostic methods , the 2 questions concerning t . asiatica ( its definite geographical distribution and its ability to cause human cysticercosis ) remain open , turning t . asiatica into the most neglected agent of human taeniasis - cysticercosis . these knowledge gaps should first be assessed before strategies of global taeniasis - cysticercosis elimination are implemented , since t . asiatica is not only a potential candidate to produce human cysticercosis but , as well , a modulating factor in the epidemiology of t . solium .
willingham al 3rd , engels d . control of taenia solium cysticercosis / taeniosis . adv parasitol . 2006 ; 61 : 509 - 66 .
t . asiatica is a recently identified zoonotic human parasite causing intestinal taeniosis , which closely resembles t . saginata . although slight differences in morphology isslight differences in morphology are noted between the species , they cannot be used solely for the diagnosis and differentiation of species . hence , supplementation of serological and more promising molecular methods in addition to morphological study would help in differentiation of the species accurately . t . asiatica has been identified only from few regions of the world and introduction of diagnostic protocols in countries endemic to taenia can reveal the true prevalence of t . asiatica world - wide .
19 . leon wu . taeniasis asiatica in the philippines . taeniasis / cysticercosis and echinococcosis international symposium and the 3rd congress of fap 2005 . 82 .
leon wu . taeniasis asiatica in the philippines . taeniasis / cysticercosis and echinococcosis international symposium and the 3rd congress of fap 2005 ; p . 82 .
( a ) homologous genes shared between t . asiatica and other tapeworms ( that is , t . saginata , t . solium , e . multicularis and h . microstoma ) . ( b ) gene block linkages between t . asiatica and t . saginata . the collinear gene blocks determined by mcscan between genome scaffolds ( > 1 mb ) represent 7 , 212 and 7 , 201 genes for t . asiatica and t . saginata , respectively .
t . asiatica tapeworms range in size from 4 - 8 m , produce 700 proglottids / worm and may produce 80 , 000 eggs per proglottid .
jeon hk , chai jy , kong y , waikagul j , insisiengmay b , rim hj , eom ks : differential diagnosis of taenia asiatica using multiplex pcr . exp parasitol . 2009 , 121 : 151 - 156 . 10 . 1016 / j . exppara . 2008 . 10 . 014 .
. . . human taeniasis results from intestinal infection with parasitic tapeworms of the genus taenia . the most common are taenia saginata and taenia solium , but another species , taenia saginata asiatica , has been relatively recently described ( fan , 1988 ; fan and chung , 1998 ; zarlenga , 1991 ) . whereas the first two species have a worldwide distribution , t . saginata asiatica has been reported primarily in taiwan , korea , thailand , indonesia , china , malaysia , and the philippines ( fan et al . , 1990 ; eom and rim , 1993 ; bowles and mcmanus , 1994 ; fan et al . , 1995 ; simanjuntak et al . , 1997 ; fan and chung , 1998 ; eom and rim , 2001 ; eom et al . , 2002 ) , with sporadic cases in other countries such as spain ( velez and camacho , 1997 ) . . . .
taenia asiatica has made a remarkable journey through the scientific literature of the past 50 years , starting with the paradoxical observation of high prevalences of t . saginata - like tapeworms in non - beef consuming populations , to the full description of its mitochondrial genome . experimental studies conducted in the 1980s and 1990s have made it clear that the life cycle of t . asiatica is comparable to that of t . saginata , except for pigs being the preferential intermediate host and liver the preferential location of the cysts . whether or not t . asiatica can cause human cysticercosis , as is the case for taenia solium , remains unclear . given the specific conditions needed to complete its life cycle , in particular the consumption of raw or poorly cooked pig liver , the transmission of t . asiatica shows an important ethno - geographical association . so far , t . asiatica has been identified in taiwan , south korea , indonesia , the philippines , thailand , south - central china , vietnam , japan and nepal . especially this last observation indicates that its distribution is not restricted to south - east - asia , as was thought so far . indeed , the molecular tools developed over the last 20 years have made it increasingly possible to differentiate t . asiatica from other taeniids . such tools also indicated that t . asiatica is related more closely to t . saginata than to t . solium , feeding the debate on its taxonomic status as a separate species versus a subspecies of t . saginata . furthermore , the genetic diversity within t . asiatica appears to be very minimal , indicating that this parasite may be on the verge of extinction . however , recent studies have identified potential hybrids between t . asiatica and t . saginata , reopening the debate on the genetic diversity of t . asiatica and its status as a separate species .
taenia asiatica has made a remarkable journey through the scientific literature of the past 50 years , starting with the paradoxical observation of high prevalences of t . saginata - like tapeworms in non - beef consuming populations , to the full description of its mitochondrial genome . experimental studies conducted in the 1980s and 1990s have made it clear that the life cycle of t . asiatica is comparable to that of t . saginata , except for pigs being the preferential intermediate host and liver the preferential location of the cysts . whether or not t . asiatica can cause human cysticercosis , as is the case for taenia solium , remains unclear . given the specific conditions needed to complete its life cycle , in particular the consumption of raw or poorly cooked pig liver , the transmission of t . asiatica shows an important ethno - geographical association . so far , t . asiatica has been identified in taiwan , south korea , indonesia , the philippines , thailand , south - central china , vietnam , japan and nepal . especially this last observation indicates that its distribution is not restricted to south - east - asia , as was thought so far . indeed , the molecular tools developed over the last 20 years have made it increasingly possible to differentiate t . asiatica from other taeniids . such tools also indicated that t . asiatica is related more closely to t . saginata than to t . solium , feeding the debate on its taxonomic status as a separate species versus a subspecies of t . saginata . furthermore , the genetic diversity within t . asiatica appears to be very minimal , indicating that this parasite may be on the verge of extinction . however , recent studies have identified potential hybrids between t . asiatica and t . saginata , reopening the debate on the genetic diversity of t . asiatica and its status as a separate species .
an overview of the epidemiological , biological , and clinical studies of taenia and taeniasis in taiwan for the past century is presented . the phenomenal observations that led to the discovery of taenia asiatica as a new species , which differ from taenia solium and taenia saginata , are described . parasitological surveys of the aborigines in taiwan revealed a high prevalence of taeniasis , which might be due to the culture of eating raw liver of hunted wild boars . chemotherapeutic deworming trials involving many patients with taeniasis were discussed . praziquantel was found to be very effective , but sometimes complete worms could not be recovered from the feces after treatment , probably due to the dissolution of the proglottids . atabrine , despite some side effects , can still be used , in properly controlled dosages , as the drug of choice for human t . asiatica infection if we need to recover the expelled worms for morphological examinations . research results on the infection of t . asiatica eggs from taiwan aborigines in experimental animals were also noted . since the pig serve as the natural intermediate host of t . asiatica and the predilection site is the liver , a differential comparison of other parasitic pathogens that might cause apparently similar lesions is also presented .
an overview of the epidemiological , biological , and clinical studies of taenia and taeniasis in taiwan for the past century is presented . the phenomenal observations that led to the discovery of taenia asiatica as a new species , which differ from taenia solium and taenia saginata , are described . parasitological surveys of the aborigines in taiwan revealed a high prevalence of taeniasis , which might be due to the culture of eating raw liver of hunted wild boars . chemotherapeutic deworming trials involving many patients with taeniasis were discussed . praziquantel was found to be very effective , but sometimes complete worms could not be recovered from the feces after treatment , probably due to the dissolution of the proglottids . atabrine , despite some side effects , can still be used , in properly controlled dosages , as the drug of choice for human t . asiatica infection if we need to recover the expelled worms for morphological examinations . research results on the infection of t . asiatica eggs from taiwan aborigines in experimental animals were also noted . since the pig serve as the natural intermediate host of t . asiatica and the predilection site is the liver , a differential comparison of other parasitic pathogens that might cause apparently similar lesions is also presented .
figure e : unstained taenia sp . egg , teased from a proglottid of an adult . four hooks can easily be seen in this image .
hoberg ep . phylogeny of taenia : species definitions and origins of human parasites . parasitol int . 2006 ; 55 suppl : s23 - 30 .
t . asiatica cysticerci show a clear liver tropism in pigs which indicates that t . asiatica may mainly cause hepatic cysticercosis in humans [ 27 ] . currently , there is no specific immunological method for t . asiatica cysticercosis , and , as already mentioned , t . asiatica cross - reacts even in the most specific serological test for t . solium cysticercosis . therefore , the application of serological approaches only can certainly not demonstrate whether t . asiatica is or is not involved in human cysticercosis cases . we have already suggested the use of liver ultrasonography to investigate the possible presence of cysticerci in patients harbouring t . saginata - like adults [ 28 ] . just as in pigs , only the molecular analysis of the extracted cysticerci could assess the species causing human cysticercosis .
phylogenetic resolution for human taenia indicates independent origins for t . solium and t . asiatica + t . saginata . hence , although discovered only 20 years ago , it is estimated that the divergence of t . saginata and t . asiatica took place 0 . 78 - 1 . 71 mybp in africa or eurasia . [ 18 ] the biotic expansion from africa into eurasia may have resulted in isolation and later divergence of t . asiatica in asia . a total of eight extant boar species have been identified in south - east asia . this diversity of potential intermediate hosts in this area may have influenced the switch of intermediate host for t . asiatica from herbivore to swine . therefore , the association of t . asiatica with swine may have been established in asia following divergence of host populations that later expanded into europe , being consistent with a dominant distribution of this species in asian countries . [ 18 , 19 ]
22 . chang sl , nonaka n , kamiya m , kanai y , ooi hk , chung wc , oku y . development of taenia saginata asiatica metacestodes in scid mice and its infectivity in human and alternative definitive hosts . parasitol res 2005 ; 96 : 95 - 101 . pmid : 15812671 .
taenia saginata , the beef tapeworm , and taenia solium , the pork tapeworm , are the most common tapeworms affecting humans . infection follows consumption of undercooked beef or pork containing cysts . t . saginata cysts may occur in other domestic bovines and a closely related asian species has been shown to infect pigs , ungulates and monkeys . t . solium cysts also occur in dogs and cats . a third species of human taenia , t . asiatica , which is also transmitted in pigs , has recently been described in asia where prevalence rates of up to 20 % have been documented among indonesian villagers .
the limited amount of genetic variation within t . asiatica has also been observed for other genes . indeed , sequence divergences of 0 . 1 to 2 . 1 % were found in t . asiatica hdp2 fragments [ 69 ] , while no divergence was found in the 18 kda gene sequence [ 91 ] .
human taeniases had been not uncommon in the republic of korea ( = korea ) until the 1980s . the prevalence decreased and a national survey in 2004 revealed no taenia egg positive cases . however , a subsequent national survey in 2012 showed 0 . 04 % ( 10 cases ) prevalence of taenia spp . eggs suggesting its resurgence in korea . we recently encountered 4 cases of taenia saginata infection who had . . . [ show full abstract ]
t . asiatica used to be called
taiwan taenia
. two of our collection demonstrated this tapeworm also with analysis of cox1 sequencing ( table 1 ) [ 11 ] . taiwanese dr . p . c . fan made orchid island ( lanyu island ) very well known among cestodologists and parasitologists while he was pioneering the research works on taiwan taenia , as one of the endemic areas of the tapeworm as well as the mainland taiwan . this small island is a land of the yami tribe who moved from south - east asia via the philippines 2 hundred years ago . the natural intermediate host of t . asiatica was also confirmed in lanyu native pigs for the first time . yeh et al . [ 22 ] described that
food - borne parasitic zoonosis such as infections with angiostrongylus cantonensis , clonorchis sinensis , and t . saginata asiatica ( taenia asiatica ) are not rare , but the former is seasonal and the latter 2 are ethnically and geographically associated
. t . saginata and t . solium are also prevalent in taiwan by consuming undercooked beef or pork .
the journey of taenia asiatica , as documented by scientific literature , started in taiwan in the late 1960s . several authors reported on the paradox of observing a high prevalence of taenia saginata - like tapeworms in the native aboriginal population living in mountainous areas of taiwan , while these populations restrained from beef consumption ( reviewed by [ 1 , 2 ] ) , and meat inspection for bovine cysticercosis had been negative for some time [ 3 ] . dr ping - chin fan , a taiwanese parasitologist , conducted various studies on this taiwan taenia in the late 1980s and early 1990s ( reviewed by [ 1 , 4 - 6 ] ) . through observational and experimental studies , he and his team observed the morphology and researched the epidemiology of the taiwan taenia , which diverged from that of t . saginata . this led fan to raise the possibility of the taiwan taenia being a new species [ 4 ] .
unless multiplex pcr [ 20 ] or pcr - rflp [ 8 ] are used , any t . saginata - like gravid proglottids expelled by humans around the world could indeed be t . saginata or t . asiatica [ 10 ] , thus we propose that it should be named t . saginata / asiatica taeniasis .
mayta h , talley a , gilman rh , jiménez j , verastegui m , ruiz m , garcia hh , gonzalez ae : differentiating taenia solium and taenia saginata infections by simple hematoxylin - eosin staining and pcr - restriction enzyme analysis . j clin microbiol . 2000 , 38 : 133 - 137 .
an adult taenia saginata , the beef tapeworm . the ruler at the bottom is about 11 . 5 centimeters ( 4 . 5 inches ) long .
regarding taeniases in other asian countries , intestinal parasite control among primary school children have been performed in cambodia by korea association of health promotion and national center for parasitology , entomology , and malaria control since 2006 . taenia tapeworm eggs were collected from 21 taenia tapeworm carriers in koh kong inhabitants [ 23 ] . the taenia eggs were isolated from the stools and placed in dna sequencing and multiplex pcr for differentiated diagnosis . all of the 21 taenia specimens from koh kong in cambodia were identified as t . saginata ( n = 19 ) and t . solium ( n = 2 ) by cox1 sequencing and multiplex pcr .


agathiopsis maculata is a moth of the family geometridae .

it is found in new guinea and australia ( queensland ) .

adults are green , the forewings with a ragged broad brown margin , and a similar stripe across the hindwings , which have a scalloped margin .

males have darker brown stripes than females .

agathiopsis maculata

a taxon identifier is composed of name , author , year and attribute , all separated by a blank . these are all extracted from the original publication .
the name is reproduced exactly as proposed in the original publication . the name of a genus is made up of one word and species made up of two words ( genus and species ) separated by a blank .
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the adult moths of this species are green , with a ragged broad brown margin to the forewings , and a similar stripe across each hindwing . the hindwings have a scalloped margin . the males have darker brown stripes than the females . the wingspan is about 4 cms . the males are about 10 % smaller than the females .
new species of drepanulidae , thyrididae , uraniidae , epilemidae , and geometridae from papuan region , collected by mr . albert s . meek
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pagenstecher , a . f . 1900 ,
die lepidopteren fauna des bismarck - archipels . mit berückstichtigung der thiergeographischen und biologischen verhältnisse systematisch dargestellt . erster theil : die tagfalter
, zoologica ( new york ) , vol . 29 , pp . 1 - 160 pp . 2 pls
turner , a . j . 1910 ,
revision of australian lepidoptera . v
, proceedings of the linnean society of new south wales , vol . 35 , pp . 555 - 653
prout , l . b . 1933 ,
geometridae
, seitz , die gross - schmetterling der erde , vol . 12 , pp . 77 - 116
warren , w . 1912 ,
new geometridae in the tring museum from new guinea
, novitates zoologicae , vol . 19 , pp . 68 - 85
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : 88959ed7 - db75 - 4d97 - af42 - 6bbdcd0251c5
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : ab525af1 - 0173 - 4203 - bc4f - 41dfc8fb198f
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : c86d9880 - c624 - 44ee - ad91 - 2b5c67621aca
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : 4fb4a47d - f76f - 4b58 - 8474 - b50d22f7975f
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . name : 372800
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