Editing Dipylidium caninum (section)

==Life cycle==
The definitive host within this life cycle is primarily canines, and occasionally felines, and in rare cases young children. The intermediate hosts include fleas (''Ctenocephalides'' spp.) and chewing lice.  The first stage in the life cycle is when the gravid proglottids are either passed out through fecal matter, or actively crawl out of the anus of the host. The gravid proglottids once out of the definitive host release eggs. Then, an intermediate host will ingest an egg, which develops into a [[cysticercoid]] larva. The adult flea or louse will then harbor the infective cysticercoid until a definitive host, such as a dog, becomes infected by ingesting an infected flea or louse while grooming themselves. Humans can also become infected by ''D. caninum'' by accidentally ingesting an infected flea. In the small intestine of the definitive host, the cysticercoid develops into an adult tapeworm, which reaches maturity about one month after infection. This adult tapeworm produces proglottids, and over time, the proglottids mature and become gravid and eventually detach from the tapeworm and the life cycle starts all over again.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dipylidium caninum Infection|url=https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/dipylidium/|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|accessdate=24 April 2015}}</ref>