Diphyllobothrium latum
Taxonomy
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Platyhelminthes
- Subclass Cestoda
- Order Pseudophyllidea
- Family Diphyllobothriidae
- Genus Diphyllobothrium
Final host
Humans and fish-eating mammals
Morphology
Adult: a very long tapeworm (up to 10 m long) with several hundreds proglottids The scolex is unarmed and has two muscular bothria Anterior proglottids are broader than long while the mature and gravid segments are rectangular shaped, with a central genital pore The proglottids possess a uterine pore Eggs are operculate (≈ 70 x 45 µm)
Cycle
Indirect with two intermediate hosts (IH) 1st IH: Copepods (metacestode: procercoid) 2nd IH: Fresh water fish (metacestode: Plerocercoid) which can act also as paratenic hosts
Location
Small intestine
Feeding
Intestinal contents (absorption by the tegument)
Diagnostic
Egg
Transmission
Plerocercoid in 2nd IH (fish)
