Diphyllobothriasis Health Dictionary

Diphyllobothriasis: From 1 Different Sources


n. an infestation of the intestine with the broad tapeworm, *Diphyllobothrium latum, which sometimes causes nausea, malnutrition, diarrhoea, and anaemia resulting from impaired absorption of vitamin B12 through the gut. The infestation, common in Baltic countries, is contracted following ingestion of uncooked fish infected with the larval stage of the tapeworm. The tapeworm can be expelled from the gut with the anthelmintic *mepacrine.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Diphyllobothrium

n. a genus of large tapeworms that can grow to a length of 3–10 m. The adult of D. latum, the broad (or fish) tapeworm, infects fish-eating mammals including humans, in whom it may cause serious anaemia (see diphyllobothriasis). The parasite has two intermediate hosts: a freshwater crustacean and a fish (see also plerocercoid).... diphyllobothrium



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