From a public health standpoint, Taenia saginata and Taenia solium are important examples of _______.

• A. Spore-forming bacteria
• B. Parasites
• C. Yeasts
• D. Viruses

Answer: (B)

Taenia saginata and Taenia solium are parasites—tapeworms that live in a host and depend on it to survive. They are multicellular helminths, not bacteria, yeasts, viruses, or spores. In public health terms, they illustrate foodborne parasitic infections that involve an animal intermediate host (cattle for T. saginata and pigs for T. solium) and a human definite host. People become infected by eating undercooked meat containing cysticerci, causing taeniasis; with T. solium, eggs shed by a human can also spread to others or cause cysticercosis, including neurocysticercosis. So, the best description is that these organisms are parasites.