Diphyllobothrium latum
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| Diphyllobothrium spp. | |
|---|---|
| Class | Cestoda |
| Family | Diphyllobothriidae |
| Also known as: | Broad tapeworm |
Hosts
Intermediate hosts: Copepods and freshwater fish.
Definitive hosts: Humans and fish eating mammals.
Identification
D. latum are long tapeworms, with an unarmed scolex. The mature adults growing up to 20m in length. The eggs are yellow and ovoid in shape.
Life Cycle
The eggs develop in water, and hatch, releasing coracidium. These are ingested by copepods, and the coracidium develop into procercoids. The copepod is then ingested by freshwater fish. These procercoids develop into plerocercoid. The infected fish are then ingested by a definitive host.