Definitive hosts: this species infects a variety of canids and felids, and sometimes humans
Site of infection: small intestine
Typical size: up to 30 cm in length
Distribution: cosmopolitan
Intermediate hosts: the most common hosts in North America appear to be fleas, especially Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) and Pulex simulans, which harbor the cysticercoids. Trichodectes canis (dog louse) has also been shown to be capable of transmitting the parasite. The parasite can be highly pathogenic for the intermediate host