Trichuriasis (Whipworm Infection)
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Published:2021
2021. "Trichuriasis (Whipworm Infection)", Red Book: 2021–2024 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics, David W. Kimberlin, MD, FAAP, Elizabeth D. Barnett, MD, FAAP, Ruth Lynfield, MD, FAAP, Mark H. Sawyer, MD, FAAP
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Disease caused by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura generally is proportional to the intensity of the infection. Most infected children are asymptomatic, but those with heavy infestations can develop a colitis that mimics inflammatory bowel disease and can lead to anemia, chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea, physical growth restriction, and clubbing. A more serious condition is Trichuris dysentery syndrome, which is characterized by severe abdominal pain, tenesmus, bloody diarrhea, and occasionally rectal prolapse.
T trichiura, the human whipworm, is the causative agent of trichuriasis. Adult worms are 30 to 50 mm long with a large, thread-like anterior end that embeds...