Volume 40, Number 5, October 2007
| | A case of human diphyllobothriasis in northern Taiwan after eating raw fish fillets |
|---|
Horng-Yuan Lou1, Pei-Chun Tsai2, Chun-Chao Chang1, Yun-Ho Lin3, Chien-Wei Liao4, Ting-Chang Kao4, Hsiu-Chen Lin2, Wen-Chung Lee3, Chia-Kwung Fan4
1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, and 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei; and Departments of 3Pathology and 4Parasitology, Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Taipei Medical University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
Received: December 21, 2006 Revised: February 9, 2007 Accepted: February 20, 2007
Corresponding author: Dr. Chia-Kwung Fan, Department of Parasitology, Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Taipei Medical University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. E-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
The consumption of raw fish fillets is increasing in Taiwan. A male Taiwanese aged 30 years presented after passing a flat, white noodle-like worm. Strobila examination showed that most proglottids were wider than they were long, with the genital pore located at the posterior edge of the cirrus. Histological and coprological findings confirmed the diagnosis of Diphyllobothrium latum; ova were ellipsoidal with operculate characteristics, and had a small knob in the anti-operculum side. Hematological data, including vitamin B12 levels, were normal, except for a low folate level. The patient was treated with a single dose of praziquantel 600 mg and 196 cm of proglottids were expelled during the 3 days following treatment. Further follow-up was declined. Consumption of raw and undercooked fish (especially salmon) poses a risk of D. latum infection.
Key words: Cestoda; Cestode infections; Diphyllobothrium; Fishes; Fish products; Taiwan
J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2007;40:452-456.
| |
|
