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Live Science

Never-before-seen parasite is resistant to ivermectin

Live Science
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81% Informative

Trichuris incognita is a type of intestinal roundworm that is closely related to the whipworm T. trichiura.

The parasite's eggs are passed in infected people's feces; the eggs can end up contaminating soil if a person defecates outside or uses inadequate sanitization facilities.

The infection tends not to be deadly, but heavy infections can cause serious disease in young children.

Although this is unlikely to be an issue in America , Gilleard added that the discovery highlights the ever-changing nature of infectious diseases and the need for continued surveillance efforts. Pandora is the trending news editor at Live Science . She is also a science presenter and previously worked as Senior Science and Health Reporter at Newsweek . Pandora holds a Biological Sciences degree from the University of Oxford , where she specialised in biochemistry and molecular biology..