Diphyllobothrium species in people

People acquire Diphyllobothrium by eating infected, unfrozen, raw fish. In Canada, adult parasites of the genus Diphyllobothrium infect several types of animals and birds, as well as people. While it is likely that in some areas these different hosts share the same species of tapeworm, this is not known for certain.

The plerocercoids of Spirometra species, the other pseudophyllid genus important for domestic animals and people, sometimes develop in the tissues of people following ingestion of an infected vertebrate second intermediate host. This infection in people is known as sparganosis (sparganum is an alternative name for the plerocercoid of Spirometra), and can be clinically significant. It is very rare in Canada and seems to be seen only in people who have acquired the parasite in another country.

Additional information about Diphyllobothrium is available under Dogs.