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[Hymenolepis diminuta] [Hymenolepis nana]

Eggs of Hymenolepis diminuta.  These eggs are round or slightly oval, size 70 - 85 µm X 60 - 80 µm, with a striated outer membrane and a thin inner membrane. The space between the membranes is smooth or faintly granular.  The oncosphere has six hooks.  There are no polar filaments extending into the space between the oncosphere and the outer shell.

A	B

A:  Egg of H. diminuta in a wet mount stained with iodine.  Four of the hooks are visible at this level of focus.  Image courtesy of the Georgia Department of Public Health.
B:  Egg of H. diminuta in an unstained wet mount.  Four hooks are clearly visible at this level of focus.

C	D

C: Eggs of H. diminuta in an unstained wet mount of concentrated stool.  Image taken at 200x magnification.
D: Higher magnification (400x) of one of the eggs in Figure C.

E	F

E, F: Eggs of H. diminuta in an unstained wet mount of concentrated stool.  Images taken at 400x magnification.