Four Human Cases of Diphyllobothrium latum Infection

Abstract

Diphyllobothrium latum infections in 4 young Korean men detected from 2008 to 2012 are presented. Three were diagnosed based on spontaneously discharged strobila of the adult worm in their feces, and 1 case was diagnosed by finding the worm at colonoscopy examination in a local clinic. The morphologic characteristics of the gravid proglottid and eggs were consistent with D. latum. All patients were treated with praziquantel 15 mg/kg, and follow-up stool examinations were done at 2 months after the medication. The main clinical complaints were intermittent gastrointestinal troubles such as indigestion, abdominal distension, and spontaneous discharge of tapeworm's segments in their feces. The most probable source of infection was the flesh of salmon or trout according to a patient's past history. These are the 45th to 48th recorded cases diagnosed by the adult worm in the Republic of Korea since 1971.