Pinworm
Pinworm, scientifically known as Enterobius vermicularis, is a common parasitic roundworm that infects people worldwide, particularly affecting children. These worms thrive in the intestines and are primarily known for causing irritation and itching in the anal area, which is why they are sometimes referred to as seatworms. Infection occurs when individuals ingest pinworm eggs, which can happen through contaminated food, dirty hands, or inhalation of household dust containing the eggs. The symptoms may include intense itching, irritability, and stomach discomfort, and while pinworms can affect anyone, children are more frequently infected due to their hygiene practices.
Once inside the host's body, female pinworms lay eggs at night, leading to further contamination of the environment, including clothing and bedding. While medications are effective in treating pinworm infections, reinfection is common due to the ease with which eggs can spread. Effective prevention strategies include thorough handwashing, regular changing of clothes and bedding, and maintaining good sanitary practices, especially in settings involving young children. Although pinworm infections are typically not serious, heavy infestations can lead to more severe complications, highlighting the importance of awareness and hygiene.
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Pinworm
Pinworm is the common name for a species of roundworm which infects people around the world. These worms are parasites which live inside people and feed on food in intestines. Because they characteristically cause irritation and itching in people's rear ends, they are often called seatworms.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Phasmida
Order: Ascaridorida
Family: Oxyuridae
Genus: Enterobius
Species: Vermicularis
Pinworms are a species of roundworms and are parasites which live inside people's bodies. In general, parasites are animals or plants which live on or inside other plants or animals, called the hosts. The pinworms belong to the class of worms called roundworms, all of which are type of parasites. The pinworms in people have nearly 100 related species in its family which are parasites in horses, sheep, goats, rabbits, and rodents. In the United States, pinworms are the most common type of intestinal worm.
People become infected with pinworms by consuming food or drink contaminated with pinworm eggs. Infection may also come from eating with dirty hands. Pinworm eggs may also enter the body when people inhale household dust or breathe in eggs on dirty bedsheets. Pinworms can be acquired by touching infected surfaces. People of all ages may get pinworms, but they much more frequently infect children. This may be caused in part by children's hygenic habits, including thumb-sucking and inadequate handwashing. Pinworms cannot be transmitted from pets like dogs.
Symptoms of pinworms can important, particularly if the infected person is a child who is unable to adequately communicate. They include itching in the anal or vaginal areas, irritability, nausea, and complaints of stomach pain.
Once inside people's intestines, the eggs hatch into young worms. As adults, males are two to five millimeters long, and females are eight to thirteen millimeters long. The worms attach to the walls of the intestine and feed on food inside the intestine. After mating, females crawl through the intestine to the openings of the anuses and lay large numbers of eggs on the skin. Some of these fall onto clothing and the sheets, or eventually get mixed with dust in the house. Females lay their eggs at night, and this activity may often result in skin redness and severe itching around the anal region. For this reason, the worms are also commonly called seatworms. Adult females live for a few weeks.
Depending on the temperature, the eggs may hatch and develop into the stage of infecting a person in a short period. They normally hatch at temperatures between seventy-five and eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit (twenty-three to forty-six degrees Celsius). At temperatures of seventy-five to seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit (twenty-four to twenty-five degrees Celsius) the eggs develop after two days. This period is as short as four and a half hours at very high temperatures of 105 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit (forty-one to fifty-two degrees Celsius).
Some of the young worms may crawl back into the people and cause greater reinfection. Others may live for days or weeks in other places depending on the conditions. Medications can rid people of pinworms, but it is very easy to become reinfected. When people scratch the itching areas, they transfer eggs and worms to their hands. These may then enter the body through hand-to-mouth contact, or they may cause skin infections. Along with medication, important steps to getting rid of pinworms require prevention. This includes washing hands and fingernails often and thoroughly. People should also change their clothes, sheets, and towels regularly and wash dirty ones right away. Sanitary practices when changing diapers are also recommended.
It is possible for people to be infected with pinworms and suffer no serious harm or discomfort. Heavy infections result in severe itching and skin redness. Massive infections may block the intestines and cause a serious condition called gangrene. Gangrene occurs when tissue dies from a lack of blood.
Bibliography
“Pinworm Infection FAQ.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Sept. 2020, www.cdc.gov/parasites/pinworm/gen‗info/faqs.html. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Rasmussen, Cindy. “Are Pinworms Dangerous?” A-Z Animals, 12 Apr. 2023, a-z-animals.com/blog/are-pinworms-dangerous/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Rett, Doug. “Enterobius vermicularis.” Animal Diversity Web, 2024, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Enterobius‗vermicularis. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.