USAID's NTD Program

Whipworm (Trichuris trichiura or Trichocephalus trichiuris)

Epidemiology

T. trichiura infection is prevalent in both temperate and tropical zones of the world. However, T. trichiura infection follows a clustered distribution, and infections are more frequently found in areas with tropical weather and poor sanitation practices.¹ T. trichiura infection occurs through accidental ingestion of whipworm eggs (which are usually found in dry goods such as beans, rice, and various grains). The eggs are found in insufficiently treated sewage compost and in soils where they embryonate (i.e., larvae develop in fertilized eggs). The eggs may contaminate crops grown in soil or fertilized with sewage. Humans are infected when such produce is consumed raw. Furthermore, infected food handlers may contaminate a wide variety of foods.²

Learn more about whipworm:

• Symptoms
• Life Cycle of T. trichiura
• Diagnosis
• Treatment, Prevention, and Control
• Back to Whipworm Overview

 

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References

1. World Health Organization: Prevention and control of schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthiasis. Report of a WHO expert committee, WHO Technical Report Series 912. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2002.
2. R.K. Grencis, E.S. Cooper. Enterobius, trichuris, capillaria, and hookworm including ancylostoma caninum. Gastroenterol Clin North Am:579-97, 1996.