News Ecosystems Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection By Rachel Ehrenberg June 10, 2010 at 1:37 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print The question of which came first, the whipworm or the whipworm egg, leaves out a key player: bacteria. EGGED ON Bacteria (tiny flecks) swarm around the eggs of intestinal whipworms, alerting the parasites that they are in a good place to hatch.