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Nematode - Trichuris trichiura

Trichuris trichiura
Life cycle:
  • Eggs are ingested
  • Larvae hatch and move to colon
  • In the cecum and ascending colon, adults lay eggs
  • Eggs are excreted in feces, contaminate more soil
Clinical:
  • Illness is in proportion to worm burden, although secondary bacterial infection can occur.
    • If the worm burden is high, patients experience pain, abdomen distention, bloody diarrhea, malnutrition, anemia, and, rectal prolapse from the mechanical strain of diarrhea (this is especially common in children).
  • Diagnosis – bile-stained eggs with polar plugs in feces.
Images: https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/trichuriasis/index.html