Interesting info-page:


http://www.webspirit.com/shanti/body/ascaris.htm


I live in Sweden and I found this article from a magazine. It's in Swedish but I will translate. The text under the picture says: "I am lucky to be alive! Nick Castro, 63 yrs, was infected when he touched a dog (I don't know the word for "touching" the animal, like in "cuddling") when he was in Sicily. Cheif doctor Dag Arvidsson (to the left) managed to operate the cyst"


article with pictur of cyst:



http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,737582,00.html



Further:
The man was infected while he was on vacation in Sicily and "touched" a little dog. The symtoms came years later when he started to feel pains on his side.
"I run the marathon and I thought that the pain was from heavy exercise. I took me years to understand that something was wrong."
A 10 cm in diameter, large cyst was found in the liver. The doctor managed to get it out and it was full of larvae. The doctor mentions that there are two types of dwarf tapeworm, and the one Nick Castro got was operable.
The parasitologist Dan Christensson says "that the other kind, that mostly affects foxes and dogs, but also humans, is IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of.
"You can stop the growth of new larvae by taking several doses of anthelminitcs (sorry don't know how to spell). But, you will NEVER get rid of the issue and you need life long medication."

Nick Castro ends by saying: "No one should have go through what I have been through"

So, either they talk about the dwarf tapeworm, or dog tapeworm? Jikes, that sounds scary! And so much for asking a parasitologist: "It's for life!"

I am freaked out!