A beef tapeworm does not produce marked symptoms, but can result in diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nervousness, nausea, and loss of appetite. Pork tapeworms can be dangerous. When the larvae migrate, they can invade the muscles, heart, eye, and brain. In the brain, they can produce seizures and brain deterioration. It is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy.
Fish tapeworms are common in the Great Lakes area and Canada.
They can be contracted by eating raw or lightly cooked freshwater fish. Symptoms include nausea, anorexia, and pain or fullness in the upper abdomen. Flukes reside in different areas of the body. Liver, oriental lung, sheep liver, and intestinal flukes are all transmitted via food, while blood flukes are transmitted via swimming or bathing water. Most fluke infections have occurred outside of North American.