Name_____________________
Date_________________Per__
1. (2) Which two classes of flatworms include worms that are dangerous to humans?
2. (2) For what is the scolex on a tapeworm used? What are two structures are on the
scolex that help it in its function?
3. (3) What is the function of proglottids in a tapeworm? In what two ways can they exit
a host’s body?
Case Studies
Read the cases below and answer the questions under each (Use back of this sheet for
answers.) Use these resources: textbook, notes, case study information. Be specific in your answers.
Case Study I (8)
Joe Stephenson attended his sister’s wedding in June of 2000. The buffet picnic
dinner consisted of the following menu: chicken breasts, pork chops, macaroni
salad, potato salad, corn on the cob, rolls and desert. Joe was 19 at the time. In
August of 2004, Joe started having severe headaches every day and at the end of
the month he experienced a seizure. Joe’s girlfriend took him to the hospital when
he started hallucinating and talking nonsense. By September 5th, Joe was in a coma
in the intensive care unit with convulsions and abnormal brain waves. He died 2
days later, despite all the tests and medicine that the doctors gave. The autopsy
revealed hundreds of cysts in his brain!
A. What is the common name of the worm that caused Joe’s death?
B. What are the phylum, class, genus, and species of this worm?
C. Explain what caused Joe to become infected with this worm.
Case Study II (10)
Carrie was 16 when she went on a cruise with her family to the West Indies. They
stopped at several islands, including St. Martin, Antigua, and St. Lucia. On one of
their stops, Carrie decided to take a diving lesson. Since it was their first time
diving, and the seas were rough, the lesson was given in a fresh-water lake. On the
last day of the trip, Carrie developed a skin rash and itch. She began to feel sick
with a slight fever and a stomachache. She thought she was just overtired from the
trip. By the time she returned home, she was feeling mostly better. 2 years later,
she began to notice dull pains in her side and a yellowing of her skin. She had not
felt well for several months. She finally went to the doctor and was sent to the
hospital immediately. Carrie was diagnosed with severe anemia and an enlarged and
failing liver. She was given medicine and diagnosed with a parasitic worm infection.
Unfortunately she will have to live with a chronic infection until a cure is found.
A. What is the common name of the worm that infected Carrie?
B. What is the name of the infection she has?
C. What is the Phylum Class and Genus name of this worm?
D. What is significant in the world about this infection?
E. Explain how Carrie became infected with the worm.