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Trichuriasis
Trichuriasis is due to a round worm called a whipworm, because of its shape: a very thin end, like a thread, and a thick end, like the handle of a whisk. The thin part burrows into the wall of the large intestine, where the worm stays ancho...
What is it?
Trichuriasis is due to a round worm called a whipworm, because of its shape: a very thin end, like a thread, and a thick end, like the handle of a whisk. The thin part burrows into the wall of the large intestine, where the worm stays anchored and feeds. In most herds, this parasite is present in small numbers and does nothing: it is discovered by chance during a dropping analysis or at the slaughterhouse. It is often overinterpreted. When it becomes numerous, on the other hand, in young animals living on very soiled soils, it causes diarrhea sometimes tinged with blood and a serious decline in condition. Its particularity lies in its eggs: remarkably resistant, they survive for years in park or sheepfold soil. It is this resistance which explains why the problem always occurs in the same places and why deworming alone never solves it.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
Most often, no sign: the presence of a few whipworms is trivial and of no consequence.
In significant infestations, especially in young people: persistent or recurrent diarrhea, loose to liquid stools.
Stools sometimes tinged with blood or streaked with mucus, the appearance being linked to damage to the wall of the large intestine.
Straining to defecate and soiled hindquarters.
Weight loss, stalling growth, dull wool.
Paleness of the mucous membranes when bleeding continues.
Dehydration and weakness when diarrhea lasts.
Slaughtered animals, which remain lying down and graze little.
The signs are never specific: they resemble those of several other digestive parasitoses and coccidiosis, hence the need for analysis.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
Adult worms live in the large intestine, the final part of the digestive tract, anchored in the wall by their thin end.
They lay characteristic eggs, lemon-shaped with a cap at each end, which disappear into the droppings.
These eggs mature slowly in the external environment and then become infective. They resist drought, sun and cold, and can remain dangerous for years in a park floor, a waiting area or around a water trough.
The animal swallows them along with grass, soil or contaminated water. The larvae develop in the wall of the intestine, then the worms anchor there permanently.
Development is slow: it takes time between contamination and the appearance of eggs in the droppings, which makes the origin difficult to locate.
As contamination accumulates in the same place year after year, it is the parking areas that become long-lasting hotspots.
Young animals, whose immunity is not built.
Parks, waiting areas and areas around buildings that have been used continuously for years, without cleaning or rest.
Bare floors, dirt, mud around water troughs and distribution points.
High load and animals grazing on soiled soil.
Malnourished animals or animals already carrying other parasites: the combination causes the disease more than the whipworm alone.
Mixture of animals of different ages on the same limited surfaces.
Persistent humidity in pens, which favors egg survival.
Transmission
There is no direct contagion between animals: contamination occurs by swallowing eggs present in the ground, on soiled grass or in water.
This worm is not transmitted to humans. The human whipworm is a different species, which does not come from sheep.
The areas of high concentration are the real centers: holding pens, containment corridors, around watering troughs and troughs, fodder distribution areas, shaded corners where the animals park.
A contaminated plot or park remains contaminated for a very long time, even after a period without animals.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The diagnosis involves an analysis of droppings: whipworm eggs, shaped like lemons with caps, are very recognizable under a microscope.
The presence of a few eggs does not mean that the whipworm is responsible for what we observe. The veterinarian interprets the result based on the quantity, age of the animals and other parasites present. This is an important point: concluding too quickly leads to ignoring the real problem.
He systematically searches for other causes of bloody diarrhea in young people, in particular coccidiosis, which is very common and which is treated differently.
Examination of a dead animal shows the worms stuck in the wall of the large intestine, with their fine end buried: this is very characteristic.
A blood test assesses the impact when bleeding continues.
The veterinarian will also be interested in the place where the animals live: in this disease, the examination of the parks is often as valuable as the examination of the animals.
Treatment
Internal antiparasitic drugs work on this worm, but not all are equal: the whipworm is known to be more difficult to eliminate than other roundworms, in part because it is anchored in the wall of the large intestine. The choice of product and form is up to the veterinarian, and a check after treatment is often useful.
No dose or rhythm is decided alone.
Repeating deworming without changing anything in the environment is the main cause of failure: animals immediately recontaminate themselves on soil saturated with eggs. In this disease more than in others, deworming without cleaning is of no use.
Animals that have a lot of diarrhea need clean water, dry shelter and a good ration; the most affected may require rehydration on veterinary advice.
Waiting periods for meat and milk must be requested before any slaughter or milking.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Acting on the ground is the main thing: regularly clean the parks, waiting areas and the surroundings of buildings, remove the manure and let the surfaces rest.
Concrete or stabilize the most frequented areas, around water troughs and troughs, allows real cleaning; on clay, the eggs remain in place.
Raise troughs and racks so that animals do not eat in contact with soiled soil.
Dry out muddy spots and repair leaking water bowls.
Rotate the parks rather than always using the same surfaces, and avoid systematically putting young people there.
Composting the manure before spreading: the rise in temperature destroys some of the parasitic forms.
Control parasitism in the herd through regular dropping analysis, rather than repeated treatments.
Properly feed the growing young, which then cope much better with the parasitic load.
Possible complications
Anemia in animals with prolonged bleeding in the large intestine.
Dehydration and severe weakness during long-lasting diarrhea.
Persistent growth retardation in affected young people.
Superinfection and aggravation by other parasites or by digestive bacteria, the damaged intestine defending itself poorly.
Hindquarters permanently soiled, with risk of myiasis in the hot season.
Long-term establishment of the parasite on the farm, the eggs remaining infesting for years in unmanaged soils.
When to see a veterinarian
Animals have diarrhea that lasts or returns, despite treatments already given.
Stools contain blood or mucus: have them analyzed rather than treating randomly.
Young people lose weight and lose growth in soiled parks.
Mucous membranes are pale in one or more animals.
An animal is dehydrated, depressed, no longer gets up: consult without delay.
The same problems recur every year in the same place on the farm: it is the environment that must be examined with the veterinarian.
Prognosis
Good in the vast majority of cases: animals treated and returned to clean surfaces recover.
Severely affected young people remain stunted, which weighs on results.
The prognosis at the farm scale depends almost entirely on soil management: without cleaning or rotation of the parks, the disease returns despite treatments.
An animal that is already anemic and dehydrated has a more guarded prognosis and requires rapid treatment.
Frequently asked questions
The laboratory found whipworm eggs: is he responsible?
Not necessarily. This worm is often present in small numbers without causing damage. It is the quantity, the age of the animals and the presence of other parasites that count. The veterinarian interprets the result as a whole, because concluding too quickly misses the real problem, often coccidiosis or other worms.
I have dewormed several times and the diarrhea returns, why?
Because the eggs of this worm survive for years in the soil of parks. The animals become recontaminated the same day of treatment. Without cleaning, drying and rotating the surfaces, no dewormer will permanently solve the problem.
Can this worm give my children whipworm?
No. The human whipworm is a different species, which does not come from sheep. This does not exempt you from the usual hygiene rules on the farm: washing your hands after handling the animals and before eating.
Should I concrete my parks to get rid of them?
This is not obligatory everywhere, but it is very effective where the animals stay the most: near water troughs, troughs and containment corridors. On clay, the eggs stay in place whatever you do; on a hard surface, real cleaning becomes possible.
References
FAO — Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
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