On duodenal stump leakage caused by adult human Taenia

To the editor: Shao Xinxin and colleagues recently described a case of duodenal stump leakage caused by Taenia saginata (Z. saginata). ~ Apparently, they did not identify the discharged adult tapeworm recovered after the treatment neither morphologically nor molecularly. The authors concluded that the species responsible for the symptoms was T. saginata based on the fact that the patient mentioned that he had been infected by T. saginata two years ago. We assumed that if the patient was diagnosed two years ago, he was also treated to eliminate the worm. However, previous parasitation did not prevent re-infection with the same or with other Taenia species. The patient came from Tibet where the three human Taenia species co-exist, i.e. Taenia solium, T. saginata and Taenia asiatica.