However, detection of whipworm eggs on fecal flotation can prove challenging because female whipworms lay as little as 2,000 eggs, intermittently shed the small number of eggs, and the eggs do not float easily because they are dense.
Do whipworms lay eggs?
Whipworms pass microscopic eggs in the stool. The eggs are very resistant to drying and heat, so they can remain alive in the environment for up to 5 years. Once laid, they mature to an infective stage (a process known as embryonation) in the environment and are able to re-infect a new dog in 10-60 days.
What do whipworm eggs look like?
Whipworms- Trichuris vulpis The eggs of T. vulpis are golden brown, football-shaped with a plug at each end and measure 70 – 90 µm in length by 30 – 40 µm in width (Figure 3a).
How do whipworms reproduce?
Whipworms live in the intestine and whipworm eggs are passed in the feces (poop) of infected persons. If the infected person defecates (poops) outside—for example, near bushes, in a garden, or field—or if the feces of an infected person is used as fertilizer, then eggs are deposited on the soil.
Where do whipworms lay eggs?
Adult whipworms lay their eggs in the large intestine, where they are then passed into the dog's stool to infect the environment. The eggs mature to an infective state, or embryonate, in the environment, and are ready to re-infect the host or infect a new host in 10-to-60 days.
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