Diphyllobothriosis is an infectious disease caused by the consumption of raw freshwater or marine fish containing larvae of broad tapeworms (Diphyllobothriidae). In the present study, we critically reviewed all cases of human diphyllobothriosis reported from Taiwan, including unpublished reports from hospitals in Taipei. Genotyping based on mitochondrial DNA marker (cox1) confirmed that two of the recent cases were caused by Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiensis, which is not native to Taiwan and was probably imported with Pacific salmon infected with larvae of D. nihonkaiensis. The causative species previously reported in Taiwan could not be definitively confirmed. However, considering the distribution of Dibothriocephalus latus, which is not endemic in Taiwan, past cases diagnosed as D. latus are questionable.

Department of International PhD Program in Medicine College of Medicine Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan

Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases School of Medicine College of Medicine Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan

Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology National Taiwan University College of Medicine Taipei Taiwan

Division of Infectious Diseases Department of Internal Medicine School of Medicine College of Medicine Taipei Medical University Taiwan

Division of Infectious Diseases Department of Internal Medicine Shuang Ho Hospital Taipei Medical University New Taipei City Taiwan

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

Institute of Parasitology Slovak Academy of Sciences Košice Slovak Republic

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