The Dog or double-pored tapeworm. Cosmopolitan in dogs. Occasionally infects humans byaccidental ingestion of the intermediate host, the dog flea.
n. a genus of tapeworms. D. caninum, a common parasite of the small intestine of dogs and cats, occasionally infects humans but usually produces no obvious symptoms. Fleas are the intermediate hosts, and children in close contact with pets become infected on ingesting fleas harbouring the parasite.... dipylidium