Cryptosporidiosis in immunodeficient persons or those undergoing immunosuppressant therapy is a severe disease, with chronic and persistent diarrhea and malabsorption that can result in death. This protozoosis can be an important contributing factor in AIDS mortality. The cestodes Taenia solium and T. Saginata and their respective larval stages Cysticercus cellulosae and C. bovis. The definitive host of both taeniae is man, whose small intestine they lodge. The intermediate hosts of T. solium are the domestic pig and wild boar and of T. saginata are cattle.
Human infection comes from eating raw or insufficiently cooked meat.
Taeniasis by T. saginata is often subclinical and is only revealed by fecal examination. Clinical symptoms consist of abdominal pains, nausea, debility, weight loss, flatulence, and diarrhea or constipation. Taeniasis by T. solium is rarer. Cysticercosis is a much more serious disease. Toxoplasmosis Toxoplasma gondii , a protozoan.