Ricerc@Sapienza

Nematodes belonging to the Trichuris genus are prevalent soil-transmitted helminths with a worldwide distribution in mammals, while humans are mainly affected in areas with insufficient sanitation such as in Africa, Asia and South America. Traditionally, whipworms infecting primates are referred to Trichuris trichiura, but recent molecular and morphological evidence suggests that more than one species may be able to infect humans and non-human primates.

Whipworms are responsible for up to 500 million cases of trichuriasis worldwide, with higher endemicity in tropical and sub-tropical countries. In non-endemic countries, trichuriasis can be accidentally diagnosed upon colonoscopy, often in the presence of negative microscopy. Here, we describe an incidental diagnosis of trichuriasis in an HIV patient residing in a non-endemic area (i.e., Turin, Italy), six months after his return from Antigua. The species-level diagnosis was made thanks to PCR-based molecular identification of Trichuris sp. following optical microscopy detection.