Which parasite is a flea?

Which parasite is a flea?

• A. Acanthocheilonema reconditum
• B. Onchocerca Cervicalis
• C. Ctenocephalides felis
• D. Metastongylus apri

Answer: (C)

Fleas are tiny, wingless insects that live on hosts and feed on blood. The organism that fits this description here is Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea, which is the most common flea found on cats and dogs. It is an actual flea, an insect with jumping hind legs, not a worm or nematode. The other listed organisms are different parasites: Acanthocheilonema reconditum is a filarial nematode that fleas can carry, but it itself is not a flea; Onchocerca cervicalis is a horse filarial worm; Metastrongylus apri is a pig lungworm. So the flea among these is the cat flea.

Fleas are tiny, wingless insects that live on hosts and feed on blood. The organism that fits this description here is Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea, which is the most common flea found on cats and dogs. It is an actual flea, an insect with jumping hind legs, not a worm or nematode. The other listed organisms are different parasites: Acanthocheilonema reconditum is a filarial nematode that fleas can carry, but it itself is not a flea; Onchocerca cervicalis is a horse filarial worm; Metastrongylus apri is a pig lungworm. So the flea among these is the cat flea.