Taxonomy: f. Dilepididae
Animal: Dipylidium caninum 6 24.jpg
Sites: Gut
Comment:
Dipylidium caninum fully developed metacestode with withdrawn rostellum in the haemocoele of an adult cat flea. C. felis felis reared at 32 degrees C and 3 mm Hg 13 days post infection. D. caninum (the dog tape worm) is a common parasite of dogs and cats world wide and occasionally humans become infected by ingesting infective fleas such as the one above. Flea larvae are infected by eating the eggs in the egg capsules passed from the intestine. Development of the parasite in the flea is not linked to the development of the flea but rather is controlled by temperature and relative humidity. Below 30 degrees C the parasite does not become infective until the infected adult fleas have infected mammals for 5 - 7 days, the mammalian surface temperature is essential for the parasite to complete its development in the flea. Cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis felis are the intermediate hosts. (Pugh 1985 PhD thesis).(Boreham & Boreham 1990, Compendium on Continuing Education 12 667 - 675 )
First Picture |
Previous Picture |
Next Picture |
Last Picture
