Trichuris Trichura (whipworm) (1 of 3)

This 65 year-old female, has been presented during 6 months with diarrheal syndrome, a colonoscopy was performed finding this parasite in the cecum, after specific treatment the patient, never again suffer from diarrhea. Ingested eggs hatch in the small intestine and complete a 1- to 3-monthmaturation in the large intestine; the cecum and colon are the most commonly infected sites. Adult females lay 5000 to 7000 eggs per day and can do so for up to 5 years. Diagnosis is by detecting in the feces the oval, yellowish-brown, thick-shelled eggs that have 2 polar plugs. Trichuris eggs can be shed intermittently, so repeated fecal testing or proctoscopy (or colonoscopy, as in the current case) may be helpful in these cases.