[8] The adult parasite infects the small intestine of fowl, from where it obtains nutrition from the digested food of the host.

The tapeworm is responsible for stunted growth of young chicken, emaciation of adult and decreased egg production of hen.

In general the tapeworm does not cause gross pathological damages on well-nourished chicken, but do compete for food when they grow to excessive number.

In such situation, severe lesions on the intestinal walls and diarrhoea could arise, which ostensibly resulted in ill health.

Under heavy infestation, R. echinobothrida is listed as one of the most pathogenic tapeworms, causing conspicuous intestinal nodules in chicken, with characteristic hyperplastic enteritis associated with the formation of granuloma.

Naturally infected hens were dewormed completely in 24 hours using mebendazole orally at doses 25 mg/kg body weight and higher, without apparent sideeffect.