Early development of four Diphyllobothrium species in the final host.

The early development of four Diphyllobothrium species, D. latum, D. dendriticum, D. ditremum, and D. vogeli, are described. D. latum sheds the entire larval body easily and shows a high shedding rate of 82.1% on average. On the other hand, D. dendriticum exhibits a different developmental pattern, with a low shedding rate of 8.7% in the hamster and a high shedding rate of 34.9% in the rat. D. ditremum is difficult to recover from hamsters but shows a high shedding rate of 42.9%. D. vogeli shows a constant recovery rate of 38.3% without shedding. The species specificity of these four diphyllobothriids is discussed briefly in relation to the early developmental pattern and the growth rate.