Taeniasis saginata as unexpected cause in the case of a woman scared of getting pregnant

Abstract

This reported case occurred in non-endemic taeniasis area, and neither the patient nor her family members had habit of eating raw beef. So previously there was no suspicion of taeniasis, moreover the main complaint in the case of a 24-yr-old Javanese woman living in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, was that she wished to get pregnant. She scared of getting pregnant, because she felt weak and unfit which was not pretty good for fetus that will be conceived. Other complaint was only sometimes diarrhea. Laboratory test showed eosin-ophilia (12%). It caused suspicion of intestinal parasitic infection. The examination of stool specimen showed gravid proglottids and the eggs were identified from Taenia saginata tapeworm. Treatment with albendazole successfully expelled the adult worm, and as days passed by, she felt better and healthier, and after seven months we found her to be pregnant.