Egg packets of Dipylidium caninum (Dog tapeworm)
(Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea)

	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