• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.425-428
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• 2017

Human diphyllobothriasis is a parasitic disease caused by ingestion of larvae (plerocercoids) in raw or undercooked fish and commonly found in temperate areas. Rare cases were reported in tropical or subtropical areas especially in children. The first documented case of pediatric diphyllobothriasis in Taiwan had been reported 11 years ago. Here, we report another 8-year-old girl case who presented with a live noodle-like worm hanging down from her anus, with no other detectable symptoms. We pulled the worm out and found the strobila being 260 cm in length. Examination of gravid proglottids showed that they were wider than their lengths, containing an ovoid cirrus sac in the anterior side and the rosette-shaped uterus. Eggs extracted from the uterus were ovoid and operculated. Diphyllobothrium latum was confirmed by molecular analysis of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. The girl was treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel, and no eggs or proglottids were observed from her stool in the subsequent 3 months. The reemergence of human diphyllobothriasis in non-endemic countries is probably due to prevalent habit of eating imported raw fish from endemic areas. This pediatric case raised our concern that human diphyllobothriasis is likely underestimated because of unremarkable symptoms.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.683-688
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• 2015

Human diphyllobothriasis is a widespread fish-borne zoonosis caused by the infection with broad tapeworms belonging to the genus Diphyllobothrium. In mainland China, so far 20 human cases of Diphyllobothrium infections have been reported, and the etiologic species were identified as D. latum and D. nihonkaiense based on morphological characteristics or molecular analysis. In the present study, proglottids of diphyllobothriid tapeworms from 3 human cases that occurred in Heilongjiang Province, China were identified as D. nihonkaiense by sequencing mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nad5) genes. Two different cox1 gene sequences were obtained. One sequence showed 100% homology with those from humans in Japan. The remaining cox1 gene sequence and 2 different nad5 gene sequences obtained were not described previously, and might reflect endemic genetic characterizations. D. nihonkaiense might also be a major causative species of human diphyllobothriasis in China. Meanwhile, the finding of the first pediatric case of D. nihonkaiense infection in China suggests that infants infected with D. nihonkaiense should not be ignored.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.319-325
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• 2017

We described 4 human infection cases of zoonotic fish-tapeworm, Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense, identified with morphological and molecular characters and briefly reviewed Chinese cases in consideration of it as an emerging parasitic disease in China. The scolex and mature and gravid proglottids of some cases were seen, a rosette-shaped uterus was observed in the middle of the mature and gravid proglottids, and the diphyllobothriid eggs were yellowish-brown in color and displayed a small knob or abopercular protuberance on the opposite end of a lid-like opening. The average size of the eggs was recorded as $62-67{\times}42-45{\mu}m$. The parasitic materials gathered from 4 human cases were morphologically identified as belonging to the genera Diphyllobothrium and Adenocephalus. The phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene of the etiologic agents confirmed that the 4 cases were D. nihonkaiense infection. The finding of 4 additional D. nihonkaiense cases suggests that D. nihonkaiense might be a major causative species of human diphyllobothriasis in China. A combined morphological and molecular analysis is the main method to confirm D. nihonkaiense infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.283-290
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• 1997

A total of 32 human diphyllobothriasis cases have been reported so far in Korea, exclud- ing 21 egg-positive cases from stool examinations. Authors experienced five more human cases of DiphHllobothrium latum infection, especially infected due to eating raw flesh of redlip mullet, Lizc hoematocheiln. Five cases were neighbors residing in the Puchon area, Kyonggi-do, who ate raw mullets (L. hQematocheila) in a party in February 1996. The mul- lets were purchased at the Noryangjin fisheries market in Seoul. All of cases (2 males and 3 females) were 35 to 43 years old and healthy with the body weight range of 56-62 kg. They complained about gastrointestinal trouble and abdominal discomfort, but were in normal ranges of their hematology and urinalysis data. None revealed any sign of anemia The patients experienced natural discharge of a chain of segments before, and showed diphyllobothriid eggs in their stool specimens when they visited our laboratory. They were administered with praziquantel (15 mg/kg of body weight) and 30 g of magnesium sulfate as a purgative. Two whole worms with the scolices (310-340 cm in length; 8-13 mm in width) were expelled each from two out of five cases after anthelmintic treatment, and the others expelled the parts of strobilae without scolex. The worms were identified as D. Ictum, based on the following biological characters. external morphologies, coiling of uterus, the number of uterine loops, position of genital opening, morphologies of cirrus, cirrus sac and seminal vesicle on the histological sections, position of vagina and uterine pore , and microscopical and SEM morphologies of the eggs.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.197-199
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• 2014

Diphyllobothrium latum and Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense are the 2 reported main causes of human diphyllobothriasis in the Republic of Korea. However, the differentiation of these 2 species based on morphologic features alone is difficult. The authors used nucleotide sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene to diagnose Diphyllobothrium spp. Two patients visited the emergency room at Kyungpook National University Hospital on 3 April and 12 April 2013, respectively, with fragments of parasites found while defecating. The parasites were identified as Diphyllobothrium spp. based on morphologic characteristics, and subsequent cox1 gene sequencing showed 99.9% similarity (1,478/1,480 bp) with D. nihonkaiense. Our findings support the hypothesis that D. nihonkaiense is a dominant species in Korea.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.283-288
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• 1996

A total of 31 human diphyllobothriasis cases have been reported in Korea. Authors experienced two more human cases of Diphyllobothrium latum infection, especially due to eating raw freshwater trout. Two cases were husband and wife in a famil residing in Chunchon city, Kangwon-do, who raw fish in October 1994. A 43-year old male(husband) was 69kg in body weight and healthy. A worm (6.65m in length; 8-l3mm in width) was expelled from him after, anthelmintic treatment. The second case(wife) was a 39-year old female who weighted 56kg. She complained about gastrointestinal trouble and abdominal discomfort. A worm (5.50m in length; 9-l3mm in width) was Obtained her after anthelmintic treatment. No scolex was collected from the two worms. Two patients were administrated with praziquantel(15mg/kg of body weight) and 15gm of magnesium sulfate as a purgative. Two worms identified as D. latum, .based on the following biological characters: extermal morphologies, coiling of uterus, the number of uterine loops, position of genital opening, morphologies of cirrus and cirrus sac and seminal vesicle on the histological sections, positions of vagina and uterine pore, distribution patterns of vitellaria, and microscopical and SEM morphologies of the egg.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.129-133
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• 2001

We experienced one rare case of Diphyllobothrium latum infection in childhood. It was proved by collection of worm after praziquantel treatment. Human diphyllobothriasis is chiefly caused through eating raw or unproperly cooked fish such as trout or salmon. This case was a 5-year old girl residing in Seoul, from whom a kind of pseudophyllidean tapeworm was detected in the feces. She would often eat sushi(raw fish) and had abdominal pain, but not revealed any sign of anemia. Obtained chain of worm segments that sized $0.25{\times}1.25cm$ was compatible with D. latum. Including the present 31 cases, total number of human D. latum infections proven by worms in Korea becomes 32 cases, and total number of child D. latum infections proven by worms in Korea becomes 4 cases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 1989

Enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) using crude worm antigen of adult Paragonimus westermani was performed for human patients sera to identify the species-specific components. Crude antigen was obtained by homogenizing and centrifuging 24-week old adult worms at 10,000 rpm for 60 minutes in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, PH 7.2) containing: Phenyl methyl sulfonyl auoride (PMSF). Gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE) was performed and blotted electrophoretically onto a sheet of nitrocellulose paper. The sheet was cut into strips and exposed to sera diluted 1 : 200 with PBS. SDS-PAGE showed 26 protein bands ranging 229 to 10 kDa. Of them 229, 91, 60, 50, 35∼31, 27, 25, 21, 17, 11 and 10 kDa components showed positive reaction with serum antibody of patients with p. westermani. Sera of patients infected with Clcnorchis sinensis reacted with 35∼31, 19, and 11 kDa bands. Human sera from cysticercosis and diphyllobothriasis cases showed non-specific cross reactions with 229, 35∼31, 27, 25 and 17kDa bands. Protein bands of 91, 60, 21 and 10kDa showed strong positive reaction without cross reactions with sera from other helminthic infections.