any of certain worms of the genus Trichuris, phylum Nematoda, especially T. trichiura, that are parasitic in the large intestine of man and other mammals. They are so named because of the whiplike shape of the body.

Infestation in humans, particularly in children, occurs through the ingestion of eggs in contaminated soil. In its adult stage, the worm injects fluid into the host's tissues and then consumes the resulting dissolved tissues.