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Diphyllobothrium spp.

What is it?

Diphyllobothrium spp. are broad fish tapeworms that are parasitic in nature and infect humans. The disease caused by these broad fish tapeworm infections is called Diphyllobothriasis.

What are the disease's symptoms?

Some symptoms of Diphyllobothriasis include abdominal distention flatulence cramping and diarrhea. The larva is usually found in freshwater and marine encounters. Doctors diagnose this disease when they find operculate eggs in the feces of a patient. As said before the larvae of the disease is sometimes found in the flesh of fish.

What is the frequency of the disease?

Diphyllobothriasis is now rare in the United States, although it used to be very common among the Great Lakes area and was known as "Jewish or Scandinavian housewife's disease" because the people who prepared dishes such as gefillte fish would taste the dishes before cooked.

Who is the target population?

The effects of the disease are most sever among people who are genetically susceptible to it. These people develop a severe anemia as a result to the infection of the tapeworms. The target population for diphyllobothriasis is anyone that eats raw and/or under-processed fish.

What we can do to help you

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Links for more info

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm070785.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=28844&lvl=0

Links for recent updates

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/13079