Dipylidium caninum is classified as which type of parasite?

Study for the VTNE Laboratory Procedures Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question offers hints and explanations, enabling increased understanding and retention. Prepare effectively for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Dipylidium caninum is classified as which type of parasite?

Explanation:
Dipylidium caninum is a tapeworm, a cestode. Cestodes are long, flat, segmented parasites that attach to the intestinal lining with a scolex and absorb nutrients through their surface because they lack a true digestive system. The worm’s segmented body (proglottids) and life cycle that uses an intermediate host (such as a flea) to reach the definitive host align with cestodes. Trematodes are flukes with leaf-shaped bodies and different life cycles, nematodes are roundworms with a tubular digestive tract, and arthropods are a different phylum altogether (the fleas that transmit Dipylidium are arthropods, but the parasite itself is not). So, the correct classification is cestode.

Dipylidium caninum is a tapeworm, a cestode. Cestodes are long, flat, segmented parasites that attach to the intestinal lining with a scolex and absorb nutrients through their surface because they lack a true digestive system. The worm’s segmented body (proglottids) and life cycle that uses an intermediate host (such as a flea) to reach the definitive host align with cestodes. Trematodes are flukes with leaf-shaped bodies and different life cycles, nematodes are roundworms with a tubular digestive tract, and arthropods are a different phylum altogether (the fleas that transmit Dipylidium are arthropods, but the parasite itself is not). So, the correct classification is cestode.

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