![]() Mebendazole (Vermox™) is also used but has not been available in the United States since December 2011. Treatment is with albendazole (Albenza™) 400 mg orally once, and repeated in 2 weeks. Stool cultures are not helpful since the eggs are not usually passed in stool. Eggs (25 to 50 microns in length) have a bean-shaped appearance and the female adult worm (8-13 mm long) appears white and pin-shaped. The eggs or worms can be visualized under a microscope. A clear plastic paddle coated with adhesive or a piece of transparent tape is pressed against the perianal skin and placed on a glass slide. Rectal bleeding is rare, since the worms do not invade the intestinal wall.ĭiagnosis is confirmed with a pinworm paddle test or “tape test”,performed first thing in the morning before bathing. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain can occur with a high worm burden. Itch! Itch! Scratch! Scratch! Nonstop!!!!!Īlthough many patients may be asymptomatic, the most common symptom is a perianal inflammatory reaction to the worm or eggs, whereupon the individual scratches the perianal skin at night, with the eggs lodging underneath the fingernails. Eggs may survive up to 2 weeks in cool, humid conditions. Migration to extra intestinal sites can occur, such as the genitourinary tract and even the nasal mucosa. Larvae mature in 4-6 hours resulting in infective eggs. The gravid adult female worm then migrates through the colon, onto the perianal skin to deposit her eggs at night. Although pinworms can be found in appendiceal specimens after surgery, it is uncertain if the worms actually cause appendicitis. The adult worms then migrate and inhabit mainly the cecum and appendix. Eggs can be airborne, inhaled, and ingested whereupon the eggs hatch, releasing larvae into the small bowel. Eggs canbe deposited onto bed linens or other surface areas. Eggs can also be transferred to the mouth by infected food. Reinfection (autoinfection) occurs with scratching the anal area and transmitting the eggs to the mouth by contaminated hands. This deposition occurs because the human host scratches the area, thus rupturing the worm, or the pregnant female naturally expels the eggs, or by death of the female with release of the eggs. The eggs are deposited onto the anus by the adult pregnant female worm. While the males die, the females advance toward the anus and emerge onto the perineal region to obtain oxygen for the developing eggs. They mature in the small intestine and the males and females mate in the ileum. The eggs hatch in the duodenum and begin their relentless march to the anus and perineum. The pinworm life cycle starts with the oral ingestion of pinworm eggs. How Did I Get Pinworm? I Wash My Hands A Lot. children carry pinworms at any given time. In fact, it is estimated that 20-40% of U.S. It is common in school children and in crowded, close conditions. Pinworm infection, or enterobiasis, occurs in both temperate and tropical climates. Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) is the most common helminthic infection in the United States, with humans being the only natural host. ![]()
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