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This is a Dipylidium caninum egg. How many larva or hexacanths are contained in one egg?

User Chaami
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Final answer:

Dipylidium caninum eggs contain several hexacanth larvae, which develop into cysticercoids inside an intermediate host before maturing into adult tapeworms in the final host.

Step-by-step explanation:

Each egg of Dipylidium caninum, commonly known as the dog tapeworm, contains several larval forms, specifically known as hexacanths, which are the six-hooked larvae. When these eggs are ingested by an intermediate host, typically fleas, the hexacanths hatch and develop into cysticercoids within the flea's body. Eventually, when a definitive host, such as a dog or cat, ingests an infected flea, the cysticercoids mature into adult tapeworms within the small intestine of the host.

User Haitham Sweilem
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