Dipylidium caninum dipylidiasis.

Animalia Kingdom: Platyhelminthes Phylum: Class: cestoda Order: cyclophylidea Family:dipylidiidae Genus: dipylidium Species: D.caninum

Dipylidium caninum, also called: -dog tapeworm -cucumber tapeworm -flea tapeworm -also resemble grains of rice Dogs, Cats, And wild canids(fox) final host:- intermediate host:- fleas, lice The disease caused by Dipylidium caninum is called dipylidiasis Dipylidium caninum does not affect cattle, sheep, pigs, horses or poultry. It can also infect humans, especially children. Dipylidium caninum is found worldwide

Anatomy of Dipylidium caninum Adult Dipylidium caninum can be up to 70 cm long and 2-3 mm wide have a whitish color. The head (called scolex) measures about 0.5 mm and has hooks and suckers for attaching to the wall of the intestine four rows of hooks, along with the four suckers. The main body (called strobila) has usually between 50 and 150 segments (called proglottids). Gravid segments that are shed with the host's feces are up to 1 cm long Dipylidium caninum has neither a digestive tube, nor circulatory or respiratory systems. It doesn't need them because each proglottid absorbs what it needs directly through its tegument. Each proglottid has its own, reproductive organs of both sexes (i.e. they are hermaphroditic) and excretory cells known as flame cells (protonephridia). The reproductive organs in each proglottid have a common opening called the genital pore. In young proglottids all these organs are still rudimentary. They develop progressively, which increases the size of the proglottid as it moves towards the tail. Mature gravid proglottids are full of eggs and detach from the strobila

The eggs - Dipylidium caninum eggs are round to oval and contain an oncosphere that has 6 hooklets. And present as egg capsule contain 5 to 30 or more eggs -The larvae of D. caninum are known as cysticercoids because the scolex is enclosed in a fluid-filled cyst at this stage.

Life cycle The eggs of adult worms in the intestine of the final host are shed with its feces mostly in the form of gravid segments full of eggs. Once outside the segments release the eggs, which are ingested by flea larvae or lice. Lice can also ingest eggs that contaminate the pet's hair coat. The eggs hatch in the intestine of these intermediate hosts and the young tapeworm larvae penetrate into their body cavity (hemocoel), where they develop to cysticercoids. After metamorphosis, adult fleas or lice carry the infective cysticercoids.

The final hosts, mainly dogs, ingest contaminated fleas or lice when licking or biting themselves as a reaction to itching caused flea or lice bites. Once in the intestine of the final host, digestion of the fleas or lice releases the cysticercoids, which complete their development to adults, attach to the gut's wall and start producing segments..

-Are dogs or cats infected with Dipylidium caninum contagious for humans? YES. Not directly through contact with the infected pet or its feces, but by accidental ingestion of fleas or lice infected with cysticercoids of the especially children become infected through intense contacts with pets, especially mouth to mouth

symptoms and diagnosis -Infections of dogs with Dipylidium caninum are mostly benign and show no clinical signs, both for pets and humans. In cases of infections with numerous tapeworms, which are very unusual, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, restlessness, anal itching and abdominal pain have been reported. -Detection of gravid segments (look lice rice grains) in the feces, around the anus Diagnosis is confirmed by microscopic examination of fecal samples and identification of the eggs

Prevention and control of Dipylidium caninum infections The best way to prevent the infection of dogs and cats with Dipylidium caninum is to keep the pets free of fleas and lice, which are the intermediate hosts. the drugs of choice are niclosamide or praziquantel We can use shampo for washing dogs and cats