Dipylidium caninum, also called the flea tapeworm, double-pored tapeworm, or cucumber
tapeworm is a cyclophyllidcestode that
infects organisms afflicted with fleas and canine chewing lice, including dogs, cats, and sometimes human pet-owners, especially children. The adult worm is
about 18 inches (46 cm) long. Gravid proglottids containing the worm's
microscopic eggs are either passed in the definitive host's feces or may leave
their host spontaneously and are then ingested by microscopic flea larvae (the
intermediate hosts) in the surrounding environment. The uterus is paired with
16 to 20 radial branches each. The scolex has a retractable rostellum with four
rows of hooks, along with the four suckers that all cyclophyllid cestodes have.
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