Humans contract tapeworms from eating raw or undercooked pork, beef, or fish. Animals contract tapeworms from the soil. Fertile tapeworm eggs course through the bloodstream to the muscle, where they form cysts. When a person ingests undercooked or raw meat from the infected animal, the eggs or larvae travel into the person's intestines. Tapeworms are long and flat and are white or pale yellow. Tapeworms are less common in the United States but can infect Americans traveling abroad.

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