Ronnie,
do you often get in contact with a dog ... or cat?
2 years ago? 5 years ago?

Two messages on CureZone are most likely talking about this parasite:
//www.curezone.org/forums/m.asp?f=5&i=784
//www.curezone.org/forums/m.asp?f=32&i=264

Your description is close to what egg packets of "D. caninum" look like. Though dark color is not common, herbs may change egg packet color ... and those "seeds" may look dark.

parasite that you have is not a common human parasite ... it is a Tapeworm common for dogs and cats. "Dipylidium caninum" D. caninum may grow up to 50 cm (20 inches) in length.

Read on Dr.Clark part of this web site recipe for Tapeworm cleanse. It is not always easy to get Tapeworm out.

From now on, use white plastic colander when using toilet. You have to make sure that you get that parasite out. You may get proglotides that look like rice seeds. Each proglotid is full of egg packets. You may get "seeds" that are actualy egg packets.

What you should be loking for is tapeworm head. As long as you have head inside ... you will not be parasite free.

Man is occasionally found infected with D. caninum. Human infections are probably caused by the accidental ingestion of infected fleas. Adult tapeworm can live inside human small intestine for years, without causing significant symptoms.


I have read few stories from people infected with this parasite. It happens. Most likely number of people infected is 1000 times higher then the number of people diagnosed, because this parasite will not cause significant health problems for many months or years. As this worm can live for many years ... number of people infected can be large!
You can asume that at least 1% of people who owes dogs can be infected.

Look at the photos on this page:

http://nz.merial.com/pet_owners/cats/disease/dipy.html
"The proglottids are elongate and when gravid resemble cucumber seeds."



D. caninum may grow up to 50 cm (20 inches) in length. The gravid segments (proglottids) at the posterior end break off from the main body of the worm and pass in the dogs feces. The eggs within the gravid segments are then released. The larval stage of the cat and dog flea (Ctenocephalides felis and C. canis), the human flea (Pulex irritans) and the dog louse (Trichodectes canis) eat the eggs. The egg hatches within the flea or louse and develops into a tapeworm larva called a cysticercoid. The dog becomes infected when it accidentally swallows one of these infected intermediate hosts.



also:
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/2368/Info/parasite.html

"When dry, the Dipylidium caninum segments look like "cucumber seeds", and the Taenia segments look like "rice grains." These egg packets may be seen on the pet's anal area and in their bedding.



also this page:

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/dipylidium.html

Dipylidium caninum

The life cycle of Dipylidium caninum, the "cucumber tapeworm," involves dogs or cats (humans rarely) as the definitive host and fleas or lice as the intermediate host. The perianal region of the dog or cat becomes contaminated with eggs when the eggs are passed in the feces, and the flea or louse ingests the eggs. The dog or cat (or human) is infected when they ingest a flea or louse infected with the metacestode state (cysticercoid) (view a diagram of the life cycle). Hence the importance of controlling fleas on your pet!

The feces of an infected dog or cat (or human) may contain proglottids (often referred to incorrectly as "segments") that are shed from the tapeworm, and these have a characteristic size and shape (more like rice grains than cucumbers). Diagnosis of this species depends on finding proglottids or "egg packets" (see below) in the feces. (The proglottids of the other common tapeworm of dogs, Taenia pisiformis, are much larger and rectangular in shape.)