To the Editor: Bertiella is a genusof tapeworm in the familyAnoplocephalidae, many species ofwhich exist as parasites of nonhumanprimates. Two species of the genus,Bertiella studeri and B. mucronata,can infect humans (1). More than 50cases of human infection have beenrecorded, and the geographic distribu-tion of cases shows that the tapewormexists in countries in Asia, Africa, andthe Americas. We report a B. studeriinfection in a person; to our knowl-edge, this case of bertiellosis is thefirst in China.The patient was a 3.5-year-oldChinese boy from Suzhou City, AnhuiProvince. The boy had a 6-month his-tory of frequent abdominal pain. Hisparents had noticed living "parasites"in his feces for 3 months; a segment ofthe worm was expelled every 2 or 3days. According to the symptoms,doctors at the local hospital diagnosedhis condition as Taenia solium infec-tion and prescribed praziquantel, butno drug was available in the hospitalor local drugstores. Consequently, theparents brought the child to BengbuMedical College for further diagnosisand treatment.
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