Diphyllobothriasis

Diphyllobothriasis is a helminthic disease caused by tapeworms such as tapeworm. These parasites live in the intestines of humans and some animals.

The body of the broad tapeworm can reach 7-10 meters in length and consists of many segments. At the head end it has two deep slits (bothria), with the help of which the parasite attaches to the intestinal wall.

The eggs of tapeworms and often fragments of their bodies are excreted in the feces of a sick person or animal (cats, dogs, etc.). Once in the water of freshwater reservoirs, larvae emerge from these eggs after 3-5 weeks. They infect first the cyclops crustaceans, and then the fish that eat the cyclops.

A person becomes infected with diphyllobothriasis by eating poorly processed (raw or undercooked) fish - pike, burbot, ruffe, perch. Insufficiently salted caviar of these fish is also dangerous.

When infected, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and anemia occur. The diagnosis is made by the presence of parasite eggs or body parts in the stool. Treatment is carried out in a hospital using antiparasitic and restorative agents.

To prevent diphyllobothriasis, it is important not to pollute water bodies and eat only well-processed fish. Freezing and salting fish is also effective.