The Pacific broad tapeworm Adenocephalus pacificus (syn. Diphyllobothrium pacificum) is the causative agent of the third most common fish-borne cestodosis among humans. Although most of the nearly 1,000 cases among humans have been reported in South America (Peru, Chile, and Ecuador), cases recently imported to Europe demonstrate the potential for spread of this tapeworm throughout the world as a result of global trade of fresh or chilled marine fish and travel or migration of humans. We provide a comprehensive survey of human cases of infection with this zoonotic parasite, summarize the history of this re-emerging disease, and identify marine fish species that may serve as a source of human infection when eaten raw or undercooked.
Keywords: Adenocephalus pacificus; Cestoda; Diphyllobothrium pacificum; Pacific Ocean; Pacific broad tapeworm; South America; cestodiasis; cestodosis; diphyllobothriid cestodes; endoparasite; enteric infections; fish-borne disease; helminth; parasites; parasitoses; zoonoses.