Diphyllobothriasis, Brazil

Cases of human diphyllobothriasis have been reported worldwide. Only 1 case in Brazil was diagnosed by our institution from January 1998 to December 2003. By com-parison, 18 cases were diagnosed from March 2004 to January 2005. All patients who became infected ate raw fish in sushi or sashimi. Diphyllobothriasis is an intestinal parasitosis acquiredby eating raw or partially cooked fish containing Diphyllobothrium spp. plerocercoids. Most persons are asymptomatic, but diarrhea, abdominal pain, or discomfort occurs in <22 % of infections. Prolonged or heavy Diphyllobothrium latum infection may cause megaloblas-tic anemia due to parasite-mediated dissociation of the vitamin B12–intrinsic factor complex within the gut lumen, making B12 unavailable to the host (1). Human diphyllobothriasis has been reported in Europe