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Hymenolepis diminuta can cause intestinal infection.
Hymenolepis diminuta, the rat tapeworm, has a life cycle similar to the indirect cycle of H. nana, involving grain insects (see Cestodes (Tapeworms): Hymenolepis Nana Infection). H. diminuta rarely infects humans but can cause mild diarrhea.
Diagnosis is by finding characteristic eggs in stool.
Infection is effectively treated with praziquantel 25 mg/kg po once.
Last full review/revision December 2009 by Richard D. Pearson, MD
Content last modified February 2012
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