Ok, now im going to sound a bit daft here, but nothing new there so here goes ............................

Im training to be a medical underwriter, and am currently doing a 3 month course on all things medical, financial etc.  Today we covered infectious diseases and tapeworm was part of the module (in humans, not animals) now when I did my college course years ago we covered tapeworm in animals and were told the story about someone (was either Rolf Harris, David Bellamy or David Attenbrough - or possibly someone completely different :rolleyes: ) was walking down the street in London when a huge long tapeworm (could have been some other type of flat worm)  slipped out of their bum and down their trousers leg onto the pavement.  Now I swear this story is true, but when I told everyone they cracked up at me now im on a mission to prove its correct but I cant find anything online about it - has anyone heard this story ?? I need evidence to prove the b#ggers wrong :p

Claire :)

I think you could be hard pushed to find evidence this was true.  Urban legend is the expression that springs to mind!

Good luck anyway, I look forward to hearing the outcome. :-)

Oh Clairey! good luck I cant wait to hear the outcome too :D :D
(who would admit to that!!???)

i feel sick

:D

:D :D

Getting warmer............:).... googling has revealed that David Attenborough has at least owned up to having had a tape worm.

i can remember watching this on t.v but im not sure who it was - possibly micheal palin.  Hed been abroad and had eaten meat with a tribe and caught the tape worm there. I can definately remember him saying it fell out of his trouser leg a while later in london.

now there's a delightful 'after dinner' anecdote! bleuuugh!!

Ugh! Can't we talk about something more pleasant, like dog poo?

I remember hearing that - I think it was on the radio & it was David Attenborough. Don't know if it was a tapeworm or some more exotic worm picked up in the tropics. Sort of think that sticks in your mind, even though you'd rather forget it

Doesn't sound likely to me 'cause aren't they called tapeworms because they are in segments, like units on a ruler, and come out in segments that look like (wriggly) grains of rice?  Maybe some other kind of worm?

What a revolting subject :D
No, it doesn't have to come out in segments, it comes out in it's full glory when it's dead.
Karen

Glad I churned all your stomachs - I dont know what was worse in that module, tapeworm or herpes

I will keep searching

I saw a programme on tapeworms, this guy ate one to do an experiment ...
The segments are actually mobile when they detach from the main "string" and they can crawl out of you on their own : Charming!

Yep, I've seen them do that (not on a human, by the way! ) and it's vile!!

what a great" thread " this is !!

*groan!!!* :D :D ;) tee hee @ Bedruthen!

Lovely story! Have also seem and heard about the segments 'moving out' on their own accord. Think they are called Gravid Proglotids or in english...pregnant segments. Lovely thought that they 'walk' out of one person get ingested by another they give birth....eeww.....think will wait to have lunch...

its put me right off my noodles.

You mean off your rice don't you?  They look EXACTLY like grains of white rice, only mobile.  This observation curtesy of one of my cats.

Ugh! I keep forgetting what this thread is about before opening it. It's starting to feel like groundhog day "Has anyone heard this ...." me thinks "ooh what?" :rolleyes: :D

>Ugh! I keep forgetting what this thread is about before opening it. It's starting to feel like groundhog day "Has anyone heard this ...." me thinks "ooh what?"

Me too....it has now managed to put me off my breakfast and my lunch :rolleyes: I'm trying to erase it from my memory before tea!

It took me a year after watching the program about the lifecycle of a tapeworm to eat taglitellie (sp) again :D :D

I can only eat the verdi ones at that :D :D

No I cant help you on that one but...

How the hell do you kill the things? My neice has tapeworm and her mother - my sister in law - wont take the poor kid back to the doctor to get something to kill them. She is quite happy letting them infest her daughter and only took her to the doctor in the first place to find out why the poor kid was losing weight even though shes eating well.


I wonder if there is anything over the counter that will kill them off?

I think that childs health is at serious risk and really think you should be speaking to social services.

Poor child!  What on earth is the mother thinking of?  Why buy something over the counter when the doctor would have prescribed something. Surely the GP didn't just send the girl off without a prescription?

We all need a dose of Drontal - just incase.  Yuk!!

Basically you would get a vermicide same as our animals get, but a different name and dosage.

It is strange we never hear of people being wormed as we do have our own species specific worms as well as those we can pick up and share with animals.

http://www.appliedozone.com/parasites.html

Piperazine and Pyrantel are often used for treatment of pinworm, and A. lumbricoides infestations. 

Treatment of Trichuris trichiuria infestation often employs Pyrantel and Mebendazole.

Niclosamide treatment destroys the tapeworm proglottids and is used for treatment.

Why are you called Brainless when it sounds as if you are really brainy.:-)