Just thinking of parastites makes me cringe, but apparently 1 in 3 humans actually carries a parasite with them at any given time. Among the most common parasite is the pinworm (also known as the threadworm). Learn the symptoms of pinworm and the causes, so you can be best educated on this easy to catch parasite.
Pinworm is most common among children, since pinworm eggs can be passed from child to child via close contact. Usually, however, pinworm is passed among family members living in close quarters. Pinworm eggs can be deposited into fecal matter, and after wiping if a child does not thoroughly wash their hands and then touches another child, then pinworm can be passed this way. Humans are the only natural hosts for pinworm, so they can’t get it from their pets.
Pinworm affects people worldwide, 40 million people a year in the US alone. The most common sign of a pinworm infection is rectal itching, particularly at night. This is because the female pinworm emerges from the body at night via the rectum (ew) and lays her eggs. The squirming around can cause itchiness. Sometimes, itching occurs in the vagina of female victims of pinworm, as the female pinworm can choose to lay her eggs around the vagina as well. Though this is very rare, at times the female pinworm can actually enter into the uterus and cause infection in a female host.
Since pinworms can lay thousands of eggs at a time, these eggs can be easily transferred from one person to another. Often, children and other affected individuals itch their anuses in their sleep, moving the eggs to their hands where the eggs can get transferred to the mouth or another persons. Eggs present in the underwear can move to other clothing as well, making pinworm easy to pass from person to person. Even though the eggs don’t live long outside the body (only a few days), with so many eggs present, infestation from close human contact makes pinworm the easiest and most common worm infection in people.
Pinworm is not dangerous or life threatening. Annoying and kinda gross at most, the most common symptom of pinworm is the itching in the genitals and anus, and possible stomach upset, though this is very rare and is usually a sign of an additional problem unrelated to pinworm. Pinworm does not cause loss of appetite or bodily issues or infection (though rarely, it can cause infection in the uterus). When a person who has pinworm defecates, they may notice little white strings in their feces.
Curing pinworm is actually fairly easy- all it takes is antibiotics to kill the parasite within a few days. Often, the antibiotics are prescribed to an entire family to prevent the pinworm from affecting everyone in the family and causing a possible reinfestation. Make sure to always finish any antibiotics and immediately wash clothing worn while the pinworm is still present to prevent reinfestation.
Without aid, a female pinworm can survive in the body for up to 3 months. Her eggs can live less than 3 days in a dry area (like clothing) until they are transferred somewhere moist (like the anus, where the pinworm thrives before it enters the body). It’s important to treat pinworm as soon as you notice a possible infestation, as it can pass very easily from person to person. See your doctor as soon as you notice any sign of pinworm (itching in the anus or vagina or seeing pinworms in the stool) so you can get rapid treatment for both you and your family.
Source:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pinworms/article_em.htm
