Megaloblastic anemia caused by: March 2005 March 2013 (b)

Ans. B: Diphyllobotrum latum Forms of vitamin B-12 deficiency other than pernicious anemia must be considered in the differential diagnosis of megaloblastic anaemia. For example, a B-12 deficient state which causes megaloblastic anemia and which may be mistaken for classical pernicious anaemia, may be caused by infection with the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum, possibly due to the parasite's competition for vitamin B-12. Echinococcus granulosus causes hydatid cyst primarily in the liver in 50% cases. The next common site is the lung, usually in the lower lobe of the right lung, followed by kidney, spleen, brain etc. Taenia saginata causes little inconvenience. It may cause vague abdominal discomfo, indigestion and diarrhea.