Specimen image via iDigBio · BY-NC-SA
Spirometra
Sign in to saveSpirometra is a genus of pseudophyllid cestodes that reproduce in canines and felines, but can also cause pathology in humans if infected. As an adult, this tapeworm lives in the small intestine of its definitive host and produces eggs that pass with the animal's feces. When the eggs reach water, the eggs hatch into coracidia which are eaten by copepods. The copepods are eaten by a second intermediate host to continue the life cycle. Humans can become infected if they accidentally eat frog legs or fish with the plerocercoid stage encysted in the muscle. In humans, an infection of Spirometra is
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumPlatyhelminthes
- ClassCestoda
- OrderDiphyllobothriidea
- FamilyDiphyllobothriidae
Habitatfreshwater
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 116
- With media
- 1
- Family
- Diphyllobothriidae
- Collections
- USNM, NHMUK, MSB, CMN
- Recorded in
- United States, Argentina, Peru, Sierra Leone, Paraguay, Malaysia, Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The, Papua New Guinea
Research
848 papers- Sparganosis (Spirometra) in Europe in the Molecular Era.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2021
- Spirometra infections in humans in Asia and Oceania.Parasitology · 2026
- The global prevalence of Spirometra parasites in snakes, frogs, dogs, and cats: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Veterinary medicine and science · 2022
- Spirometra species from Asia: Genetic diversity and taxonomic challenges.Parasitology international · 2021
- Global genetic diversity of Spirometra tapeworms.Tropical biomedicine · 2020
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Diphyllobothriidae
Show 3 more facts
- taxon name
- Spirometra
- taxon rank
- genus
- Commons category
- Spirometra
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0