ABSTRACT
I. BACKGROUND Taenia spp. are common parasites of humans, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide. These cestodes (tapeworms) belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes, class Cestoidea, order Cyclophyllidea, family Taeniidae (1). The family includes three parasites, Taenia solium (the pork tapeworm), Taenia saginata (the beef tapeworm), and a third form called Asian Taenia that is morphologically similar to T. saginata but biologically akin to T. solium (2). While T. saginata is more common and widespread than T. solium, the latter is more relevant as a human pathogen since infection with its larval form causes cysticercosis, a serious disease (3).
