The Centers for Disease Control says that tapeworm infection has doubled in frequency within the past 10 years. This is most likely due to the consumption of undercooked beef. Fleas have been known to carry tapeworms, so it's possible to get them if you have pets. Hookworms can be contracted from walking barefoot on infected soil. Roundworms average 6 to 18 inches in length and can lay thousands of eggs each day.
Roundworm infection is abundant in meat-eating cultures.
One type of flatworm, a fluke, can live in the intestines, liver, lungs or blood. Trichina is a tiny worm that infects pigs. The larvae, after burrowing into the intestinal wall, enters the blood vessels. The blood carries the larvae to the muscle fibers where these worms live and grow. Although most people think of visible worms when parasites are mentioned, microscopic parasites are a huge problem.