Trichuris trichiura
is a metazoan that can cause symptoms such as bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, fever, and nausea when its ova are ingested. The ova may be present in soil that contaminates food and/or water. Because the adult Trichuris is cylindrically shaped, it is in the phylum Aschelminthes and the class Nematoda (roundworms). Trichuris adults may be either male or female. Their long, thin, winding tails, which resemble the handle of a whip, have led to their common name "whipworm". Diagnosis depends on finding ova in the feces.
Click on each image to see the enlarged version.
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| 1. male adult 8 X | 2. female adult 10 X | 3. ova 400 X | 4. ova 400 X | 5. ova 400 X |
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| 6. ova 400 X | 7. ova 1000 X | 8. ova 1000 X | 9. ova 1000 X | 10. ova 1000 X |
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