<i>Trichuris trichiura</i> Incidentally Detected by Colonoscopy and Identified by a Genetic Analysis

Abstract

Although trichuriasis, a zoonotic disease, has recently become rare in Japan due to improved environmental hygiene, we herein report a 79-year-old man in whom a worm was incidentally found in the ascending colon during colonoscopy for positive fecal occult blood and was endoscopically removed. A genetic analysis identified the worm as Trichuris trichiura possessing mixed sequences from non-human primate and human origins. Despite controversy regarding Trichuris trichiura infection originating from Japanese macaques, according to some studies, it originates primarily from humans. This report suggests the efficacy of a genetic analysis for identifying infection sources.

De novo assembled mitogenome analysis of Trichuris trichiura from Korean individuals using nanopore-based long-read sequencing technology

“…However, there is evidence showing whipworm infection across species [13,14]. Therefore, it is worthwhile to perform genetic analysis on whipworms isolated from human in the areas where human to human transmission is less likely [15].…”