Description

We report the case of a 49-year-old female patient, with no significant medical history, presenting with chronic abdominal pain for nearly two years, associated with alternating episodes of diarrhea and constipation. In the absence of alarm signs or evidence of organic disease, a diagnosis of functional bowel disorder was considered. Despite symptomatic treatment, the digestive symptoms persisted. In this context of diagnostic uncertainty, the patient resorted to the consumption of pumpkin seeds, following a traditional practice. The following day, she noticed a reddish, segmented structure in her stool, which she brought to the consultation. After rinsing, the specimen revealed a whitish, ribbon-like appearance; the initial coloration was attributed to prior consumption of beets. Parasitological examination identified a strobila of Taenia saginata measuring approximately 2.16 meters (Figure 1), composed of broad, motile proglottids with irregularly alternating genital pores. The diagnosis of Taenia saginata taeniasis was thus established, providing an explanation for a previously unexplained chronic symptomatology.