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[Diphyllobothrium latum] [Diphyllobothrium spp.]

Adults of Diphyllobothrium spp. may be 4-10 meters in length.  The scolex is elongated, 1mm by 3mm, with two shallow, longitudinal grooves. As proglottids mature, they may break off from the stroblia, in lengths containing few to many segments.  Proglottids are broader than they are long and range from 2 to 4 mm long by 10 to 12 mm wide.  The uterus is coiled in rosette appearance and the genital pore is at the center of the proglottid.  There are numerous testes that appear in the lateral fields of each proglottid.

A	B

A:  Section of an adult D. latum containing many proglottids.  The scolex was not present in this specimen.  Image courtesy of the Florida State Public Health Laboratory.
B:  Close-up of a few of the proglottids from the specimen in Figure A, showing the rosette-shaped uterus at the center of each proglottid.

C	D

C, D: Carmine-stained proglottids of D. latum, showing the rosette-shaped ovaries.