Taeniidae

{{Short description|Family of flatworms}} {{More citations needed|type=animal|date=February 2019}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Echinococcus gran LifeCycle lg.jpg | image_caption = Life cycle of ''Echinococcus granulosus'' | taxon = Taeniidae | authority = Ludwig, 1886 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = }} The '''Taeniidae''' {{IPAc-en|t|ᵻ|ˈ|n|aɪ|.|ᵻ|d|iː}} are a family of tapeworms. It is the largest family representing the order Cyclophyllidea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aavp.org/wiki/cestodes/cyclophyllidea/taeniidae/|title=taeniid|date=16 July 2014|website=www.aavp.org|access-date=20 February 2019|archive-date=20 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320185257/https://www.aavp.org/wiki/cestodes/cyclophyllidea/taeniidae/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It includes many species of medical and veterinary importance, as ''Taenia solium'' (pork tapeworm), ''Taenia saginata'' (beef tapeworm), and ''Echinococcus granulosus''. The Taeniidae are parasites of mammals and many are infectious to humans.

==Taxonomy==

The family includes four genera: *''Echinococcus'' Rudolphi, 1801 *''Hydatigera'' Lamarck, 1816 *''Taenia'' Linnaeus, 1758 *''Versteria'' Nakao, Lavikainen, Iwaki, Haukisalmi, Konyaev, Oku, Okamoto & Ito, 2013 <ref name="NakaoLavikainen2013">{{cite journal|last1=Nakao|first1=Minoru|last2=Lavikainen|first2=Antti|last3=Iwaki|first3=Takashi|last4=Haukisalmi|first4=Voitto|last5=Konyaev|first5=Sergey|last6=Oku|first6=Yuzaburo|last7=Okamoto|first7=Munehiro|last8=Ito|first8=Akira|title=Molecular phylogeny of the genus ''Taenia'' (Cestoda: Taeniidae): Proposals for the resurrection of ''Hydatigera'' Lamarck, 1816 and the creation of a new genus ''Versteria''|journal=International Journal for Parasitology|volume=43|issue=6|year=2013|pages=427–437|issn=0020-7519|doi=10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.11.014|pmid=23428901 }}</ref> ==Life cycle==

Taeniidae parasites are distinguished by their terrestrial lifecycles, which include a dormant stage called a metacestode. These develop in the intermediate host's tissue when eggs are consumed. The eggs hatch into an oncosphere, which passes through the intestinal wall and forms the metacestode. An example is either cysticercoid, cysticercus, or a hydatid cyst. The definitive host is infected when the metacestode is consumed.

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Eucestoda Category:Flatworm families Category:Taxa described in 1886