Whipworm infection pathophysiology

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Usama Talib, BSc, MD [2], Syed Hassan A. Kazmi BSc, MD [3]

Overview

Infection is acquired by the ingestion of embryonated eggs from contaminated drinking water and food. The eggs once ingested hatch in the small intestine, and the larvae enter the intestinal crypts. The larve migrate to the proximal colon and mature into adult worms. The females begin to oviposit 60 to 70 days after infection and shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs per day. Whipworm causes disease by colonic mucosal invasion by the adult worms and resulting in inflammation of the colonic mucosa.

Pathophysiology

Life Cycle

Life Cycle of Trichiuris trichiura

1. The eggs develop into a 2-cell stage.

2. The two cell stage then leads to an advanced cleavage stage.

3. The eggs embryonate.

4. Eggs become infective in 15 to 30 days.

5. Mature adult worms travel in the colon.

6. The adult worms (approximately 4 cm in length) live in the cecum and ascending colon. The life span of the adult worm is approximately 1 year.

Transmission

  • Whipworm infection is acquired by the ingestion of embryonated eggs from contaminated drinking water and food.

Pathogenesis

Associated Conditions

Gross Pathology

  • Whipworm infection in humans can lead to rectal prolapse which may be visible grossly.[4]

Rectal prolapse in whipworm infection

Microscopic Pathology

Black arrows showing worm embeded in mucosa of colon and white arrow showing one end of worm in lumen

References

  1. Elston DM (2006). "What's eating you? Trichuris trichiura (human whipworm)". Cutis. 77 (2): 75–6. PMID 16570666.
  2. Elsayed S, Yilmaz A, Hershfield N (2004). "Trichuris trichiura worm infection". Gastrointest Endosc. 60 (6): 990–1. PMID 15605023.
  3. Tilney LG, Connelly PS, Guild GM, Vranich KA, Artis D (2005). "Adaptation of a nematode parasite to living within the mammalian epithelium". J Exp Zool A Comp Exp Biol. 303 (11): 927–45. doi:10.1002/jez.a.214. PMID 16217807.
  4. "CDC - Trichuriasis".
  5. Kaur G, Raj SM, Naing NN (2002). "Trichuriasis: localized inflammatory responses in the colon". Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 33 (2): 224–8. PMID 12236416.
  6. Ok KS, Kim YS, Song JH, Lee JH, Ryu SH, Lee JH, Moon JS, Whang DH, Lee HK (2009). "Trichuris trichiura infection diagnosed by colonoscopy: case reports and review of literature". Korean J. Parasitol. 47 (3): 275–80. doi:10.3347/kjp.2009.47.3.275. PMC 2735694. PMID 19724702.

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