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Diphyllobothriasis, a rare cause of profuse diarrhea following autologous transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 44, pages 131–132 (2009)Cite this article

Diphyllobothriasis is a zoonosis acquired by humans after the ingestion of plerocercoid larvae present in raw and undercooked fish. In North America, Diphyllobothrium latum (D. latum) infection is limited mostly to areas with cold water lakes.1 Various species of freshwater or anadromous (living in both fresh and saltwater) fishes may be infected by D. latum plerocercoid larvae, including perch, trout, salmon, char and pike.2 We report herein the first case of D. latum infection in an immunocompromised patient who presented with profuse diarrhea.

The patient was a 60-year-old man who lived in the north-east area of the Province of Quebec, Canada, and who had never traveled outside the country. This patient with anaplastic T-cell lymphoma had achieved minimal residual disease with ESHAP (etoposide, methylprednisolone, cytosine arabinoside and cis-platinum) chemotherapy. He was admitted to our institution in December 2005 to undergo auto-SCT. His disease initially presented with widespread abdominal lymph nodes and multiple hepatic nodular lesions, which progressed after eight cycles of CHOP (CY, doxorubicin, VCR and prednisone). His medical history was significant for mild, chronic diarrhea (2–3 loose stools/day) of 1-year duration; complete investigation by a gastroenterologist, including upper and lower endoscopies, was negative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    M Detrait, D-C Roy, T Kiss, L Busque, S Cohen, S Lachance, G Sauvageau & J Roy

  2. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    L Poirier

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  1. M Detrait
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  2. L Poirier
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  3. D-C Roy
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  4. T Kiss
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  5. L Busque
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  6. S Cohen
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  7. S Lachance
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  8. G Sauvageau
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  9. J Roy
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Correspondence to M Detrait.

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Detrait, M., Poirier, L., Roy, DC. et al. Diphyllobothriasis, a rare cause of profuse diarrhea following autologous transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 44, 131–132 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.439

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