Diphyllobothriasis natural history

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Kalsang Dolma, M.B.B.S.[2], Furqan M M. M.B.B.S [3]

Overview

The symptoms of diphyllobothriasis usually develop after eating undercooked or raw infected fish meat and start with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness. If left untreated, patients with diphyllobothriasis may progress to develop complications such as megaloblastic anemia, cholecystitis/cholangitis, and intestinal obstruction. Prognosis is generally good.

The symptoms of diphyllobothriasis usually develop after eating undercooked or raw infected fish meat and start with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness.^[1]^[2]
Human Diphyllobothrium infection becomes infectious (begins to pass eggs in stools) approximately 15 to 45 days after ingestion of plerocercoid larvae.^[1]
Without treatment, the patient will develop symptoms of intestinal obstruction and infections of the biliary tract.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The complications associated with diphyllobothriasis include:

Diphyllobothriasis can be removed with a single treatment dose. There are no lasting effects.

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Baron, Samuel (1996). Medical microbiology. Galveston, Tex: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Scholz T, Garcia HH, Kuchta R, Wicht B (2009). “Update on the human broad tapeworm (genus diphyllobothrium), including clinical relevance”. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 22 (1): 146–60, Table of Contents. doi:10.1128/CMR.00033-08. PMC 2620636. PMID 19136438.
↑ Feng XF (1989). “[Cervical anastomosis of the stomach transposed through the esophageal bed–report of 536 cases]”. Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi (in Chinese). 11 (5): 374–6. PMID 2620636.