Trichuris trichiura normally have the shape like that of a whip, hence the name whipworm. Adults are about 1.75 to 3 inches long and reside in the large intestine and cecum. The anterior 2/3 thread-like, and the posterior 1/3 club-like. Females are usually longer than males, and males have a corkscrew tail.

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Both sexes have a stichosome esophagus. Using its mouth as a spear-like sword, the whipworm slashes and punctures the large intestine, usually the ileocecal area. Their whip shape allow easy navigation through the intestines where they receive their nutrients from released blood and tissue fluids. They then mate, and fertilized eggs leave the body in the feces and pass into the soil, where they can survive for years under the most severe weather conditions. The eggs are lemon shaped with bipolar plugs.

A Trichuris egg Credit

The eggs must embryonate in warm, moist, shaded soil before they are infective. The embryonation normally takes about three weeks. Infection results from ingesting the eggs via hands, food, or drink. Upon ingestion, larvae hatch and penetrate the small intestine to mature. They eventually migrate to the large intestine and complete maturation in three months. Adults can live for years and deposit thousands of eggs per day.

Heavy whipworm infections may result in intermittent abdominal pain, weight loss, dehydration, mucus-laden stools streaked with blood, and bloody diarrhea. A large number of worms (more than 2,000 in some cases) can cause anemia. While light infections are often asymptomatic, heavy infections can produce internal bleeding, bowel obstruction, and loss of muscle tone. Pathology also results from the mature worms migrating to other areas of the body in search of a mate. Severe infections in young children can result in serious disease with bloody diarrhea and a condition called rectal prolapse. Diagnosis is very difficult and may require several exams. Treatment: mebendazole usually detected by examining the stool and detecting eggs of the human whipworm Trichuris trichiura.