Skip to main content
USAID

USAID's NTD Program
USAID's NTD Program

Whipworm (Trichuris trichiura or Trichocephalus trichiuris)

Life Cycle of T. trichiura

  Figure illustrating lifecycle of whipworm.
  Source: CDC

Step 1: The unembryonated eggs are passed in the stool.

Step 2 and 3: In the soil, the eggs develop into a 2-cell stage and an advanced cleavage stage.

Step 4: Eggs embryonate and become infective in 15 to 30 days.

Step 5: The eggs hatch in the small intestine and then move into the wall of the small intestine and develop. Upon reaching adulthood, the thinner end (the front of the worm) burrows into the large intestine and the thicker end hangs into the lumen and mates with nearby worms. The females can grow to 50 mm (2 inches) long. The females begin to lay their eggs 60 to 70 days after infection. Female worms in the cecum shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs per day. The life span of the adults is about 1 to 3 years.

Learn more about whipworm: