''Trichuris serrata'', commonly known as a whipworm, is a nematode of the genus ''

Trichuris ''Trichuris'' (synonym ''Trichocephalus''), often referred to as whipworms or the silent serpent (which typically refers to ''T. trichiura'' only in medicine, and to any other species in veterinary medicine), is a Genus–differentia definition, ...

'' first discovered in domestic Brazilian cats by Dr. Otto Friedrich Bernhard von Linstow in 1879. Since then, there have been reports of this species in North and South America, Australia, and the Caribbean islands. Information regarding the species' general life cycle and egg development can be seen in the ''

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Morphology and relationship to ''T. campanula''

During the early 1900s, many considered the only legitimate feline whipworm species to be ''T. serrata''. However, another feline whipworm species known as '' T. campanula'' was also discovered. Whipworms of ''T. serrata'' are slightly bigger than those of ''T. campanula''. Male and female lengths of ''T. serrata'' are 40 and 48mm respectively, while their ''T. campanula'' counterparts are 20.5 and 31.5mm respectively. However, the eggs of ''T. serrata'' are marginally smaller than those of ''T. campanula''. The egg morphologies of both species are identical and have a light brown color and a lemon shape. Despite the size difference, studies have discovered that the best form of differentiation between the two species can be seen in the anatomy of their females. In 1975, it was discovered that female organisms of ''T. serrata'' have a fingerlike projection from the vulva while their ''T. campanula'' counterparts have two longitudinal lips on that sex organ. Both have a bacillary band, although based on the original description that of ''T. serrata'' is more obvious than ''T. campanula''

Treatment and diagnosis

There are no clinical symptoms associated with whipworm infections in felines. Diagnosis of cats with these infections is usually through

fecal flotation Feces (also known as faeces or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relatively small amount of ...

and an ELISA antigen test. To treat them, veterinarians recommend feeding the cats 50 mg/kg of fenbendazole once a day for three days. Although they are very infectious between cats, there are no recorded cases of ''T. serrata'' infecting humans.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22286946 Parasitic nematodes of mammals Parasites of cats Trichocephalida Nematodes described in 1879