6 Questions
What is the primary site of infection for Dipylidium caninum?
Small intestine
What is the intermediate host for Dipylidium caninum?
Fleas and lice
What is the characteristic of the gravid proglottids of Dipylidium caninum?
They are motile and can leave the host spontaneously without defaecation
What is the treatment for Dipylidium caninum in dogs?
Praziquantel
What is the primary mode of transmission of Dipylidium caninum to humans?
Swallowing of adult fleas carrying cysticercoids
What is a common clinical sign of Dipylidium caninum infection in dogs?
Scooting
Study Notes
Dipylidiosis
- Caused by Dipylidium caninum, a parasite affecting dogs, cats, and rarely humans, with a predilection site in the small intestine.
Intermediate Hosts and Transmission
- Fleas (Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis) and lice (Trichodectes canis) serve as intermediate hosts.
- Flea larvae or lice ingest eggs, which develop into infective cysticercoids within 2-3 weeks.
- Adult fleas emerge from pupae carrying infective cysticercoids, which can infect definitive hosts.
Epidemiology
- Condition characterized by factors affecting the presence of intermediate hosts.
- Gravid proglottids can leave the host spontaneously without defecation.
Pathogenesis
- Largely non-pathogenic, but can cause anal irritation (pruritus).
- No immunity develops, allowing dogs and cats to become re-infected.
Clinical Signs
- Scooting behavior due to anal pruritus.
Prevention and Control
- Treatment: Isoquinolines (Praziquantel) and Isothiocyanates (Nitroscanate, not for use in cats).
- Control: Flea and lice control measures.
Public Health
- Humans can become accidental definitive hosts, mainly through ingesting adult fleas.
- Children may become infected when dogs or cats lick their faces, transferring crushed fleas carrying cysticercoids.
- Most human infections are asymptomatic.
Learn about the etiology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of Dipylidiosis, a parasitic infection caused by Dipylidium caninum, and its transmission through fleas and lice.
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