On Dec. 18, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a study with patient samples from populations in Côte d’Ivoire showed that a novel species of Trichuriasisis resistant to the Albendazole/Ivermectin combination treatment.

Trichuris trichiura is a soil-transmitted helminth infecting 465 million persons globally, primarily in middle and low-income countries. Infections are most prevalent in children; moderate to severe infections cause chronic dysentery, diarrhea, and stunted growth.

A double-blind, parallel-group, phase 3, randomized controlled clinical trial recently showed an expected high efficacy of albendazole/ivermectin combination therapy against T. trichiura in Laos (ERR 99%), and Pemba Island, Tanzania (ERR 98%). However, albendazole/ivermectin combination therapy showed an unexpectedly low efficacy in Cȏte d’Ivoire (ERR 70%). The application of fecal DNA metabarcoding by using ITS1 and ITS2, as well as other markers, will be a powerful method to investigate the geographic distribution, treatment efficacy, and control strategies for Trichuris spp.