Whipworm infection historical perspective

In 1761, Roederer described whipworm for the first time. In 1771, Carl Linnaeus coined the binomial name for human whipworm as Trichuris trichiura. The human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) is generally considered “heirloom,” since it is found in African non-human primates, and parasite eggs were found in fossilized human feces in archaeological sites before animal domestication and before the Columbian colonization. The origin of human Trichuris is believed to be in Africa, where the parasite was transmitted to humans through early primates.

Whipworm and Humans: An evolutionary perspective

• Since the evolution of humans and the genus Homo, for the past four million years, there has been continuous contact between humans and many parasites.
• Parasites infecting humans today have different evolutionary origins and can be broadly divided into two groups:
  • Parasites transmitted to humans through primates, which are referred to as “heirloom.”
  • Parasites acquired more recently through contact with animals (e.g. during animal domestication in the Neolithic period roughly 10,000 years ago), which are referred to as “souvenirs.”^[1]
• The human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) is generally considered “heirloom,” since it is found in African, non-human primates, and parasite eggs were found in human fossilized feces in archaeological sites before animal domestication and before the Columbian colonization.^[2]

Demographic History

• Discovery of whipworm in different parts of the world may be explained by human migrations to various parts of the world.^[3]
• The origin of human Trichuris is believed to be in Africa, where the parasite was transmitted to humans through early primates. When pigs evolved in China, they presumably acquired whipworms.^[4][5]
• Phylogenetic analysis shows that the human whipworm clustered into separate clades demographically. The first divergence for human T. trichiura occurred between the Ugandan and China/Ecuador populations (over 500,000 generations ago). Then, a second split between the China and Ecuador populations (120,000 generations) occurred. This again supports the theory of T. trichiura originating in Africa and spreading to Asia and South America by human activity.

Discovery and Binomial Nomenclature

• In 1761, Roederer described whipworm for the first time.^[6]
• In 1771, Carl Linnaeus coined the binomial name for human whipworm as Trichuris trichiura.

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