 It belongs to the genus "Trichuris", formerly known as "Trichocephalus", meaning hair head, which would be a more accurate name; however the generic name is now "Trichuris", which means hair tail (implying that the posterior end of the worm is the attenuated section).Infections by parasitic worms are known as helminthiasis.Humans are the main, but not the only reservoir for "T. trichiura".