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Global distribution of Taenia saginata

New Content ItemThe zoonotic helminth Taenia saginata relies on humans, as the only definitive host in its life-cycle. Infected people are responsible for dissemination of infective eggs excreted in the faeces into the environment, potentially contaminating pastures, fodder, or water sources, from where eggs are ingested by the intermediate hosts. Domestic cattle are the most common intermediate hosts, but domestic yak, buffalo and reindeer are also important intermediate hosts in certain geographical regions. Following ingestion of eggs by the intermediate host, they hatch and the oncospheres migrate to the musculature where they develop into cysticerci. The consumption of raw or undercooked meat containing cysticerci by humans completes the life-cycle.

The public health impacts of T. saginata are generally limited to mild abdominal discomfort with occasional reports of intestinal obstruction or perforation. The economic burden upon endemic counties, however, can be substantial, with major losses occurring through the condemnation, compulsory freezing, or downgrading of meat products. Despite acknowledgement of the economic impact of this parasite, there has yet to be a comprehensive overview of its worldwide distribution. This collection aims to provide such a resource, and we hope that it will be of use to researchers and policy makers alike.

The systematic reviews included in this collection synthesise the current evidence on the occurrence and prevalence of T. saginata taeniosis and cysticercosis in different world regions. The data have been gathered from both peer-reviewed and grey literature, published between 1990–2017. The 2009 PRISMA guidelines have been followed and methods are fully reported within each publication, along with region-specific discussion. As often cited, this exercise has confirmed the near-ubiquitous distribution of this parasite, while highlighting some striking regional, and intra-regional, differences in prevalence.

This project was conceived through the EU COST Action ‘CYSTINET: The European Network on Taeniosis/Cysticercosis’ (TD 1302) and we are grateful to the network funders and organisers for facilitating this collaborative effort.

  1. Bovine cysticercosis (BCC) is an infection of cattle with the metacestode stage of Taenia saginata, the beef tapeworm, which causes taeniosis in humans. BCC is responsible for considerable economic losses in the ...

    Authors: Edilu Jorga, Inge Van Damme, Bizunesh Mideksa and Sarah Gabriël
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2020 13:375
  2. Taenia saginata is an important zoonotic parasite, causing taeniosis in humans and cysticercosis in bovines, the latter being a significant concern for the global beef industry. Many countries in East, Southeast ...

    Authors: Ramon M. Eichenberger, Lian F. Thomas, Sarah Gabriël, Branco Bobić, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Lucy J. Robertson, Anastasios Saratsis, Paul R. Torgerson, Uffe C. Braae, Veronique Dermauw and Pierre Dorny
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2020 13:234
  3. The zoonotic tapeworm Taenia saginata, although causing only minor discomfort in humans, is responsible for considerable economic losses in the livestock sector due to condemnation or downgrading of infected beef...

    Authors: Emilie Hendrickx, Lian F. Thomas, Pierre Dorny, Branko Bobić, Uffe Christian Braae, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Ramon M. Eichenberger, Sarah Gabriël, Anastasios Saratsis, Paul R. Torgerson, Lucy J. Robertson and Veronique Dermauw
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2019 12:324
  4. The zoonotic parasite Taenia saginata transmits between humans, the definitive host (causing taeniosis), and bovines as the intermediate host (causing cysticercosis). Central and western Asia and the Caucasus hav...

    Authors: Paul R. Torgerson, Aida M. Abdybekova, Gulnara Minbaeva, Zhanna Shapiyeva, Lian F. Thomas, Veronique Dermauw, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Sarah Gabriël, Pierre Dorny, Uffe Christian Braae, Anastasios Saratsis, Lucy J. Robertson and Branko Bobić
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2019 12:175
  5. The zoonotic parasite Taenia saginata utilizes bovines as an intermediate host (causing cysticercosis) and humans as the definitive host (causing taeniosis). The public health burden of T. saginata is assumed to ...

    Authors: Anastasios Saratsis, Smaragda Sotiraki, Uffe C. Braae, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Veronique Dermauw, Ramon M. Eichenberger, Lian F. Thomas, Branko Bobić, Pierre Dorny, Sarah Gabriël and Lucy J. Robertson
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2019 12:113
  6. Russia is traditionally an endemic area for Taenia saginata infection, where a programme for the prevention of infection has been implemented for sixty years. This paper aims, therefore, to review the recent epid...

    Authors: Branko Bobić, Lian F. Thomas, Olgica Djurković Djaković, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Veronique Dermauw, Pierre Dorny, Uffe Christian Braae, Lucy Robertson, Anastasios Saratsis, Ramon Eichenberger and Paul R. Torgerson
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2018 11:636
  7. Due to the relative short life span and the limited spatial movement, porcine cysticercosis is an excellent indicator of current local active transmission. The aim of this study was to map at province-level, t...

    Authors: Uffe Christian Braae, Nguyen Manh Hung, Fadjar Satrija, Virak Khieu, Xiao-Nong Zhou and Arve Lee Willingham
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2018 11:613
  8. The beef tapeworm, Taenia saginata, causing cysticercosis in bovines and taeniosis in humans, is thought to have a global distribution. In eastern and southern Africa, cattle production plays a crucial role in th...

    Authors: Veronique Dermauw, Pierre Dorny, Uffe Christian Braae, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Lucy J. Robertson, Anastasios Saratsis and Lian F. Thomas
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2018 11:578
  9. The distribution of Taenia saginata in the Americas is unclear. Establishing the distribution, economic burden, and potentials for control of bovine cysticercosis is increasingly important due to the growing dema...

    Authors: Uffe Christian Braae, Lian F. Thomas, Lucy J. Robertson, Veronique Dermauw, Pierre Dorny, Arve Lee Willingham, Anastasios Saratsis and Brecht Devleesschauwer
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2018 11:518
  10. In Catalonia (north-eastern Spain), Taenia saginata has been described in cattle but its occurrence in humans is unclear. Moreover, whether cattle acquired the infection in Catalonia or outside Catalonia and its ...

    Authors: Minerva Laranjo-González, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Famke Jansen, Pierre Dorny, Céline Dupuy, Ana Requena-Méndez and Alberto Allepuz
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2018 11:376
  11. Bovine cysticercosis (BCC) (due to Taenia saginata) is often claimed to cause considerable economic losses to the livestock industry, particularly in beef cattle, but recent studies estimating the economic impact...

    Authors: Famke Jansen, Pierre Dorny, Chiara Trevisan, Veronique Dermauw, Minerva Laranjo-González, Alberto Allepuz, Céline Dupuy, Meryam Krit, Sarah Gabriël and Brecht Devleesschauwer
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2018 11:241
  12. Taenia solium and Taenia saginata are zoonotic parasites of public health importance. Data on their occurrence in humans and animals in western Europe are incomplete and fragmented. In...

    Authors: Minerva Laranjo-González, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Chiara Trevisan, Alberto Allepuz, Smaragda Sotiraki, Annette Abraham, Mariana Boaventura Afonso, Joachim Blocher, Luís Cardoso, José Manuel Correia da Costa, Pierre Dorny, Sarah Gabriël, Jacinto Gomes, María Ángeles Gómez-Morales, Pikka Jokelainen, Miriam Kaminski…
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2017 10:349
  13. Bovine cysticercosis in Europe has been known for centuries but the data showing the occurrence of this zoonosis are scarce. The aim of this paper is to review and present the current knowledge on bovine cysti...

    Authors: Minerva Laranjo-González, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Sarah Gabriël, Pierre Dorny and Alberto Allepuz
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2016 9:81