Research overview: Spirometra tapeworms and sparganosis in felids and their prey

Spirometra tapeworms use felids and other carnivores as definitive hosts, while their larval stages, known as spargana, infect a wide range of intermediate and paratenic hosts, including amphibians, reptiles and occasionally humans. This overview surveys the complex life cycle, the role of wild cats in shedding eggs, and the disease sparganosis caused by larval migration in tissues. It examines the prevalence of Spirometra in felid populations, transmission through predation on infected prey, and the zoonotic potential when humans encounter larvae. The synthesis connects felid parasitology to public health and food-web ecology. It aims to help readers understand a parasite whose felid definitive hosts seed an environmental reservoir of larvae capable of infecting many other animals, illustrating the broad ecological reach of cat tapeworms.