Which parasite is commonly transmitted to pets via fleas and is a tapeworm?

Which parasite is commonly transmitted to pets via fleas and is a tapeworm?

• A. Heartworm
• B. Tapeworm
• C. Mosquito
• D. Coccidia

Answer: (B)

Fleas can carry tapeworm larvae, and when a dog or cat grooms and swallows that flea, the tapeworm infects the pet. This means the parasite is a cestode, a tapeworm, using the flea as an intermediary host in its life cycle. Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes, and coccidia is a protozoan with a different transmission route, so those don’t fit the flea-transmission clue as well. A common tapeworm involved is Dipylidium caninum, which is transmitted to pets via infected fleas, and you might see small, rice-grain–like segments around the pet’s hind end or on bedding.

Fleas can carry tapeworm larvae, and when a dog or cat grooms and swallows that flea, the tapeworm infects the pet. This means the parasite is a cestode, a tapeworm, using the flea as an intermediary host in its life cycle. Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes, and coccidia is a protozoan with a different transmission route, so those don’t fit the flea-transmission clue as well. A common tapeworm involved is Dipylidium caninum, which is transmitted to pets via infected fleas, and you might see small, rice-grain–like segments around the pet’s hind end or on bedding.