Trichuris serrata

Trichuris serrata, commonly known as a whipworm, is a nematode of the genus Trichuris first discovered in domestic Brazilian cats by Dr. Otto Friedrich Bernhard von Linstow in 1879.[1] Since then, there have been reports of this species in North and South America, Australia,[2] and the Caribbean islands.[1] Information regarding the species' general life cycle and egg development can be seen in the Trichuris page.

This article is about the worm. For the infection in humans, see Trichuriasis.

Trichuris serrata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Enoplea
Subclass: Dorylaimia
Order: Trichocephalida
Family: Trichuridae
Genus: Trichuris
Species:
T. serrata
Binomial name
Trichuris serrata
von Linstow, 1879

Morphology and relationship to T. campanula

During the early 1900s, many considered the only legitimate feline whipworm species to be T. serrata. However, another feline whipworm species known as T. campanula was also discovered. Whipworms of T. serrata are slightly bigger than those of T. campanula. Male and female lengths of T. serrata are 40 and 48mm respectively, while their T. campanula counterparts are 20.5 and 31.5mm respectively. However, the eggs of T. serrata are marginally smaller than those of T. campanula. The egg morphologies of both species are identical and have a light brown color and a lemon shape. Despite the size difference, studies have discovered that the best form of differentiation between the two species can be seen in the anatomy of their females. In 1975, it was discovered that female organisms of T. serrata have a fingerlike projection from the vulva while their T. campanula counterparts have two longitudinal lips on that sex organ. Both have a bacillary band, although based on the original description that of T. serrata is more obvious than T. campanula [1]

Treatment and diagnosis

There are no clinical symptoms associated with whipworm infections in felines. Diagnosis of cats with these infections is usually through fecal flotation [3] and an ELISA antigen test.[4] To treat them, veterinarians recommend feeding the cats 50 mg/kg of fenbendazole once a day for three days. Although they are very infectious between cats, there are no recorded cases of T. serrata infecting humans.[5]

References
  1. Ketzis, Jennifer (2015). "Trichuris spp. Infecting Domestic Cats on St. Kitts: Identification Based on Size or Vulvar Structure?". SpringerPlus. 4 (115): 115. doi:10.1186/s40064-015-0892-z. PMC 4355293. PMID 25789211.
  2. Kelly, John D. (December 1973). "Occurrence of Trichuris serrata von Linstow, 1879 (Nematoda: Trichuridae) in the Domestic Cat (Felis catus) in Australia". The Journal of Parasitology. 59 (6): 1145–1146. doi:10.2307/3278662. ISSN 0022-3395. JSTOR 3278662.
  3. Tams, Todd (2003). Handbook of Small Animal Gastroenterology (2 ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders. pp. 256–257.
  4. Geng, Jinming; Elsemore, David A.; Oudin, Nathalie; Ketzis, Jennifer K. (December 2018). "Diagnosis of feline whipworm infection using a coproantigen ELISA and the prevalence in feral cats in southern Florida". Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports. 14: 181–186. doi:10.1016/j.vprsr.2018.11.002. ISSN 2405-9390. PMID 31014727.
  5. "Trichuris felis". AAVP.org. American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
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