Parasitic Tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus)

What is Echinococcus granulosus? Echinococcus granulosus is a parasitic tapeworm that requires two hosts to complete its life cycle. Ungulates (deer, domestic cattle, domestic sheep, elk, and moose) are intermediate hosts for larval tapeworms, which form hydatid cysts in their body cavity. Canids (wolves, coyotes, dogs, foxes) are definitive hosts where larval tapeworms mature and live in the small intestine. Definitive hosts are exposed to larval tapeworms when ingesting infected ungulates. Adult tapeworms, 3-5 mm long, produce eggs which are expelled from canids in feces. Intermediate hosts ingest the eggs while grazing, where the eggs hatch and develop into larvae