Trichuriasis

 

Epidemiology

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Although it can be found almost all over the world, Trichuriasis is common in tropical areas with poor sanitation. Worms require hot and humid environments to develop outside the host in the soil. However, sanitation is key in predicting whether or not a particular area is endemic. Areas without sanitary systems to separate feces and food will have more T. trichiura infections. In places where human feces are used as fertilizers, whipworm infections are common and hard to eliminate from the population. In some parts of Asia prevalence rates are as high as 50 to 80%.

The estimated numbers of the number of people infected worldwide covers a large range, although it is generally agreed that somewhere around 500 million people are infected. This makes it the third most common nematode infection in the world.

 

Worldwide estimate of Trichuris trichiura infections
(in millions)

Adapted from The Guide to Human Helminths

Whipworm can be found all over the world, including Europe and North America, where it is most frequent in rural areas of the southeast. In a study conducted by the CDC and state health departments in 1987 1.2% of 216,275 random stool samples were found to be infected with Trichuris trichiura. The only nematode infection with a higher rate of prevalence in the study was Ascariasis.