Trichuris trichiura
Trichuris trichiura, adult
Adults of Trichuris trichiura, the human whipworm, are tan-white with a slender "whip-like" anterior end and larger posterior end. Males are 3.0 to 4.5 cm in length and have a coiled tail, while females are 3.5 to 5.0 cm in length and have a straight tail. Eggs may sometimes be expressed from the female worm using gentle manipulation with forceps; the expressed eggs may be immature using this method, but still have recognizable features including bipolar plugs. Adult worms are only occasionally submitted to the laboratory for identification since they are usually firmly embedded in the large bowel mucosa. The specimen shown here was removed during colonoscopy.
Trichuris trichiura, intrauterine eggs, tissue sections
Trichuris trichiura, the human whipworm, can occasionally be seen in hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections. Diagnostic features include its location in the large intestine (narrow anterior embedded in the intestinal mucosa and larger posterior in the intestinal lumen), and characteristics of the intrauterine eggs, when present. As with eggs seen in stool specimens, the intrauterine eggs commonly exhibit recognizable bipolar plugs.
You can view a whole slide image of a case of Trichuris trichiura HERE.
Trichuris trichiura, egg, embryonated
This is a fully-embryonated egg of Trichuris trichiura, the human whipworm. Eggs are shed by humans in the unembryonated stage, and then mature in the environment before becoming infectious to humans. Note the thick smooth shell and characteristic bipolar plugs. Eggs measure 50 to 55 micrometers long by 20 to 25 micrometers wide.
