The tegument is living syncytial tissue, not a cuticle. It bears microtriches, hair-like projections that multiply surface area, and carries transport proteins that take up sugars and amino acids from the host's intestinal contents. It also secretes molecules that protect the worm from host digestive enzymes and modulate immune attack, which is why a worm sitting in an environment designed to dissolve protein is not itself digested.
The head, or scolex, has four suckers and no hooks, distinguishing it from the pork tapeworm. Behind it a chain of proglottids grows, each maturing into a self-contained reproductive unit. Adults commonly reach several metres, and mature segments detach and pass in faeces to reach pasture.
The important contrast is with Taenia solium, the pork tapeworm. Human infection with beef tapeworm larvae essentially does not occur, and intestinal infection is often mild. Pork tapeworm eggs can produce cysticercosis in human tissue, including the brain, which is the serious disease. Global burden estimates for both remain uncertain because diagnosis is inconsistent.