What are the common symptoms of pinworm infection. How is pinworm infection transmitted. What are the most effective treatments for pinworm infection. How can you prevent pinworm reinfection. Who is most at risk for pinworm infection. What is the life cycle of pinworms. When should you see a doctor for suspected pinworm infection.

Understanding Pinworm Infection: The Most Common Worm Infection in Australia

Pinworm infection, also known as enterobiasis or oxyuriasis, is the most prevalent worm infection in Australia. This parasitic infestation is caused by tiny, threadlike worms called Enterobius vermicularis. Despite its unsavory reputation, pinworm infection is relatively harmless and can be easily treated. However, it’s essential to understand the nature of this condition to effectively manage and prevent its spread.

What are Pinworms?

Pinworms are small, slender, yellowish-white parasites that inhabit the human intestinal tract. These worms require a host to survive, and in this case, humans serve as the perfect hosts. Adult pinworms measure about one centimeter in length, making them visible to the naked eye when present in stool or around the anal area.

The Life Cycle of Pinworms

The life cycle of pinworms is fascinating and crucial to understanding how infections spread. Here’s a breakdown of their life cycle:

1. Ingestion of eggs: Infection begins when pinworm eggs are ingested, usually through contaminated hands, food, bedding, or other objects.
2. Hatching and maturation: The eggs travel to the gut where they hatch and mature into adult worms.
3. Egg-laying: After about 4 weeks, adult female pinworms move down the gut and exit the body through the anus to lay eggs on the surrounding skin, often at night.
4. Reinfection: The eggs cause intense itching, leading to scratching, which can result in eggs being trapped under fingernails and potentially ingested again, restarting the cycle.

How long can pinworm eggs survive outside the body? Under the right conditions, pinworm eggs can survive on surfaces or objects for up to 2 weeks, posing a risk of infection to others if transferred to the mouth or food.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Pinworm Infection

While pinworm infections can often be asymptomatic, there are several telltale signs to watch out for. Recognizing these symptoms early can lead to prompt treatment and prevent the spread of infection.

Common Symptoms of Pinworm Infection

• Intense itching around the anus, especially at night
• Restlessness and difficulty sleeping due to discomfort
• Reduced appetite
• Mild general discomfort
• Inflammation of the vagina in females
• Visible adult worms in feces
• Eggs visible on the skin around the anus
• Irritability and behavioral changes, particularly in children

Why is anal itching more intense at night? Female pinworms typically emerge from the anus at night to lay eggs, causing increased irritation and itching during this time.

Transmission and Risk Factors for Pinworm Infection

Understanding how pinworm infections spread is crucial for prevention and control. These parasites are highly contagious and can easily spread within households and communities.

How Pinworm Infections Spread

Pinworm infections are primarily transmitted through the fecal-oral route. This means that eggs from an infected person’s stool can be transferred to the mouth, either directly or indirectly. Common modes of transmission include:

• Direct hand-to-mouth contact after scratching the anal area
• Ingestion of eggs from contaminated food, bedding, or clothing
• Breathing in eggs that have become airborne, especially when shaking out contaminated bedding or clothing

Who is at Risk?

While anyone can contract a pinworm infection, certain groups are at higher risk:

• Children, particularly those in school or childcare settings
• Family members of infected individuals
• Caregivers of infected persons
• Individuals in crowded living conditions
• People with poor hygiene practices

Can pets transmit pinworms to humans? No, household pets cannot be infected with pinworms or pass them on to humans. Pinworms are species-specific and only infect humans.

Diagnosing Pinworm Infection: The Tape Test

If you suspect a pinworm infection, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis. While the symptoms can be indicative, a definitive diagnosis often requires a simple test.

The Scotch Tape Test

The most common diagnostic method for pinworm infection is the tape test, also known as the Scotch tape test or paddle test. Here’s how it works:

1. Upon waking and before using the toilet, press a piece of clear, transparent tape against the skin around the anus.
2. The tape is then examined under a microscope for the presence of pinworm eggs.
3. This test is typically performed for three consecutive mornings to increase the chances of detecting eggs.

Why is the tape test done in the morning? Female pinworms typically lay their eggs at night, so testing in the morning provides the best chance of detecting eggs before they’re washed away or dislodged.

Other Diagnostic Methods

In some cases, additional diagnostic methods may be employed:

• Visual inspection: Sometimes, adult worms may be visible around the anus or in stool.
• Stool sample: While less effective for detecting pinworms, a stool sample may be examined for the presence of worms or eggs.
• Cellophane swab: Similar to the tape test, this method uses a cellophane-covered paddle to collect samples from the anal area.

Effective Treatments for Pinworm Infection

Once diagnosed, pinworm infections can be effectively treated with medication. The goal of treatment is to eliminate the worms and prevent reinfection.

Antiparasitic Medications

The most common treatments for pinworm infections are antiparasitic medications, including:

• Mebendazole (Vermox)
• Albendazole (Albenza)
• Pyrantel pamoate (Pin-X, Reese’s Pinworm Medicine)

These medications work by either killing the adult worms or preventing them from absorbing nutrients, leading to their death.

Treatment Protocol

The typical treatment protocol for pinworm infection involves:

1. An initial dose of medication for the infected person and all household members, regardless of symptoms
2. A second dose given 2 weeks later to ensure any newly hatched worms are eliminated
3. Simultaneous implementation of hygiene measures to prevent reinfection

Why is a second dose of medication necessary? The second dose helps eliminate any worms that may have hatched from eggs present at the time of the first treatment, ensuring complete eradication of the infection.

Preventing Pinworm Reinfection: Essential Hygiene Measures

Preventing reinfection is crucial in managing pinworm infections. Implementing strict hygiene practices can significantly reduce the risk of reinfection and spread to others.

Key Prevention Strategies

• Thorough hand washing: Wash hands with soap and water, especially after using the toilet, changing diapers, and before handling food.
• Nail care: Keep fingernails short and clean to reduce egg accumulation.
• Bathing: Take daily showers or baths, paying special attention to the anal area.
• Clothing and bedding: Wash all clothing, bedding, and sleepwear in hot water to kill pinworm eggs.
• Environmental cleaning: Regularly clean and disinfect toilet seats, potties, and frequently touched surfaces.
• Avoid scratching: Discourage scratching of the anal area to prevent egg transfer to fingernails.

How often should bedding be washed during a pinworm infection? It’s recommended to wash bedding daily during treatment and for several days afterward to ensure all eggs are eliminated.

Household Management

When one family member is infected, it’s important to treat the entire household to prevent reinfection cycles. This includes:

• Treating all family members simultaneously, even if they’re not showing symptoms
• Implementing hygiene measures consistently across the household
• Educating all family members about prevention strategies

When to Seek Medical Attention for Pinworm Infection

While pinworm infections are generally harmless and can often be treated at home, there are situations where medical attention is necessary.

Reasons to Consult a Healthcare Provider

• Persistent symptoms despite over-the-counter treatment
• Recurrent infections
• Severe itching leading to skin irritation or infection
• Symptoms in infants or very young children
• Presence of other concerning symptoms such as abdominal pain or weight loss
• Uncertainty about the diagnosis

Can pinworm infections lead to complications? While rare, severe or untreated pinworm infections can potentially lead to complications such as weight loss, urinary tract infections, or in very rare cases, appendicitis.

What to Expect at the Doctor’s Office

When you visit a healthcare provider for suspected pinworm infection, you can expect:

1. A discussion of symptoms and medical history
2. A physical examination, possibly including a visual inspection of the anal area
3. Instructions for performing the tape test, if not already done
4. Prescription of appropriate medication if pinworm infection is confirmed
5. Advice on preventing reinfection and managing the condition at home

Pinworm Infection in Special Populations: Children and Pregnant Women

While pinworm infections can affect anyone, certain populations require special consideration when it comes to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Pinworm Infection in Children

Children are particularly susceptible to pinworm infections due to their habits and close contact with other children. Special considerations for children include:

• Age-appropriate education about hygiene practices
• Monitoring for behavioral changes or sleep disturbances that might indicate infection
• Proper dosing of medications based on age and weight
• Coordination with schools or daycare centers to prevent spread

How can schools help prevent the spread of pinworm infections? Schools can implement regular hand washing routines, maintain clean facilities, educate students about hygiene, and promptly notify parents of potential outbreaks.

Pinworm Infection During Pregnancy

Pregnant women require special consideration when it comes to pinworm infections:

• Some antiparasitic medications may not be safe during pregnancy
• Consultation with an obstetrician is crucial before starting any treatment
• Emphasis on preventive measures and hygiene practices
• Monitoring for potential complications or discomfort

Managing pinworm infections requires a combination of medication, hygiene practices, and sometimes, patience. By understanding the nature of these parasites and implementing proper prevention strategies, individuals and families can effectively combat this common but manageable condition. Remember, while pinworm infections can be uncomfortable and frustrating, they are rarely dangerous and can be successfully treated with the right approach.

Pinworms – Better Health Channel

Summary

Read the full fact sheet

• Pinworm is the most common worm infection in Australia.
• The major symptom is an itchy bottom, particularly at night.
• Treatment usually includes a single or 2-dose course of medication that should be taken by all members of the affected household.
• If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

What are pinworms?

The most common type of human worm infection in Australia is pinworm. Other names for this parasite include threadworm and Enterobius vermicularis, or the common term ‘worms’.

Children are more likely to pick up an infection than an adult, probably because of children’s tendency to put their fingers in their mouths. However, once a child is infected, other members of their household are also likely to get pinworms unless strict hygiene practices are observed. Infection can happen to anyone, regardless of a child’s home hygiene.

Despite the unsavoury reputation, a pinworm infection is relatively harmless and can be easily treated.

Worms require a host in order to survive. In the case of pinworms, the human acts as the host.

Life cycle of a pinworm

Infections begin when pinworm eggs are eaten, usually directly through contaminated hands or indirectly through contaminated food, bedding, clothing or other articles. The eggs then travel to the gut where they hatch and mature. A grown pinworm is yellowish white, slender and about one centimetre long.

Around 4 weeks after ingestion, the adult female moves down the gut and exits the body via the anus to lay a batch of eggs on the surrounding skin, often at night. The worm then dies, her reproductive mission complete.

The eggs may cause intense itching, especially at night, so children can easily reinfect themselves by scratching the anus and scraping eggs under their fingernails. These eggs can then be transferred to the mouth and the whole life cycle of the pinworm starts again.

The eggs can survive on surfaces or objects (such as furniture, kitchen surfaces and toothbrushes) for up to 2 weeks in the right conditions and can infect other people if transferred to the mouth or food.

Household pets cannot be infected with pinworms or pass them on to humans.

Symptoms of pinworm

Pinworm infections often produce no symptoms but, when they occur, symptoms can include:

• itchy bottom, especially at night
• reduced appetite
• feeling mildly unwell
• inflammation of the vagina
• adult worms can sometimes be seen in the faeces, and eggs may be seen clinging to the skin around the anus
• irritability and behavioural changes.

Treatment for pinworm infection

Your doctor might want to perform a test to make sure the problem is a pinworm infection. This is done by collecting the eggs from around the anus using sticky tape first thing in the morning.

Medication is available to kill the worms and this is usually prescribed for the person who is infected and all other members of the household. One dose may be followed up with a second dose 2 weeks later to take care of any surviving worms.

Although the medication is safe for humans, you should consult your doctor or chemist before commencing treatment.

Preventing another pinworm infection

Suggestions to prevent another infection during treatment include:

• All family members should wash their hands and nails thoroughly with soap and water, particularly after going to the toilet, after changing nappies, before preparing food and before eating food.
• Discourage scratching of the bottom and nail biting.
• Keep fingernails short.
• Daily bathing and showering.
• Wash all sheets, bed linen, pyjamas and sleepwear in hot water to kill any pinworm eggs.
• Clean toilet seats and potties regularly with disinfectant (remember to store the disinfectant out of reach of children).
• All family members should take the medication, regardless of whether they are experiencing symptoms.

Where to get help

• Your GP (doctor)
• Pharmacist
• NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 606 024 – for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
• Maternal and Child Health Line Tel. 13 22 29 (24 hours, 7 days)

• WormsExternal Link, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.
• Pinworm infectionExternal Link, Department of Health, Victorian Government.
• WormsExternal Link, Women’s and Children’s Health Network, South Australian Government.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved
by:

Department of Health – Public Health – Communicable Disease Prevention and Control

What Are Pinworms? – Treatment & Symptoms

What is pinworm infection?

Pinworm infection is an intestinal infection caused by small, white worms. Anyone can get it, but it’s most common in young children. It’s easily treated.

Symptoms of pinworm infection

If your child is infected with pinworms, they may frequently scratch their bottom. Your child may also move around a lot in bed at night or not be able to sleep. That’s because your child it itchy. The itching is caused by the female pinworm that comes out of the rectum to lay eggs around the anus (the opening to the rectum). The eggs stay in the upper part of the intestine until they hatch. After they hatch, the worms move down the length of the intestine, and then out the anus where they lay more eggs.

You also may be able to see the tiny, white worms (shorter than 1/2 inch in length) on your child’s bottom at night. Or the worms may show up in your child’s stools.

What causes pinworm infection?

Pinworms are contagious and easily spread, usually from child to child. Pinworm eggs can be picked up on children’s fingers when they’re playing. When children who are infected scratch their itchy bottoms, the tiny eggs can get under their fingernails. Eggs can stay on your child’s skin for several hours. They can survive for up to 3 weeks on clothes, bedding, and toys. If the eggs are on your child’s hands or toys and they put their fingers or toys in their mouth, the tiny eggs can enter their bodies. Children who don’t wash their hands thoroughly before eating and children who suck their thumbs are at an increased risk.

Although pinworm infection is more common in school-aged children, anyone can get it. As children who are infected move around the house, the eggs may be spread, and other family members can become infected. Sometimes adults breathe in the eggs when the bed covers are shaken. However, this isn’t very common.

Pets don’t spread pinworms, although they may carry their own kinds of worms.

How is pinworm infection diagnosed?

Because pinworms usually crawl out of the anus while a child sleeps, the tape test is an easy way to find pinworms. It’s best to do this right when your child wakes up and before they use the bathroom or take a bath. To do the tape test, pat a piece of clear tape on the skin around the anus. Do this for three mornings in a row and save the tape from each morning. Then take the tape to your doctor, who can use a microscope to check for pinworms or eggs. It’s also possible to see the adult worms around the anus during the tape test.

Can pinworm infection be prevented or avoided?

There are ways to prevent or avoid getting pinworm infection—and reinfections. Follow these tips:

• Make sure your child washes their hands before a meal and after using the restroom.
• Keep your child’s fingernails trimmed.
• Discourage your child from nail-biting and scratching their anal area.
• Be sure your child changes into a clean pair of underwear each day.
• Have your child bathe in the morning to reduce egg contamination. If possible, have your child take a shower instead of a bath.
• Change your child’s night clothes, underwear, and bedding after treatment.

Pinworm infection treatment

Most pinworm infections are mild and easily treated. Your doctor may prescribe a single chewable tablet of a medicine called mebendazole. A second tablet is taken about 3 weeks later if the infection isn’t cured. Or your doctor may recommend another kind of medicine called pyrantel, which is taken as a single dose.

Even if only one child in your family has pinworms, it’s often important that everyone in the household be treated with the pinworm medicine at the same time.

Living with pinworm infection

Pinworm infection is very contagious. If you don’t take precautions, it’s easy to become reinfected. If anyone in your home has pinworms, take these steps to get rid of the pinworm eggs. Doing so will minimize your chances of reinfection.

• Wash all the sheets, blankets, towels, and clothing in the house in hot water.
• Carefully clean everyone’s fingernails (which may hold the worm eggs) and cut them short.
• Scrub toys, countertops, floors, and other surfaces the infected child has touched.
• Vacuum carpets.

Questions to ask your doctor

• How long will the treatment take?
• When should I call my doctor?
• Should I let my child’s school or daycare know they have pinworms?
• Should I get rid of my child’s bedding or underwear?
• Will hand sanitizers work against pinworms?
• What steps can I take to make sure no one else in my house gets pinworms?
• Should everyone in my house be treated, even if they don’t have any symptoms?

Resources

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: Pinworm Infection

Anal itching – health articles

11/10/2022

Anal itching is a condition characterized by unrelieved persistent itching in the anus and is a clinical symptom of many proctological diseases. However, quite often in patients suffering from anal itching, intestinal diseases are not detected.

In order to identify the causes of anal itching, laboratory (study of perianal scraping, feces for helminth eggs, blood glucose) and instrumental diagnostics (anoscopy, sigmoidoscopy) are carried out. The algorithm for eliminating anal itching involves conservative or surgical treatment of the underlying pathology, the use of local remedies, and physiotherapeutic procedures.

Causes

The most likely causes of itching in the anus are:

• Worm infestation with pinworms. The presence of worms in humans is accompanied by severe itching around the anus. This symptom is most pronounced in the evening and at night. Most often, pinworms are found in young children who neglect the rules of personal hygiene and can become infected with helminthic invasion in the village, playing in the sandbox, as well as from unwashed vegetables and fruits.
• Anorectovaginal diseases: anal fissures, hemorrhoids, fistulas, genital warts and anogenital warts.
• Dermatological diseases. Anal itching is one of the main symptoms of head lice, scabies, lichen planus, seborrheic eczema, psoriasis, eczema, mycotic skin lesions and various allergic dermatitis.
• Microorganisms, bacteria and fungi. Itching of the anus usually accompanies such parasitic diseases as taeniasis, amoebiasis, giardiasis, opisthorchiasis, etc. In some cases, this symptom also occurs with gonorrheal-trichomonas infection.
• Itching in the anus can be caused by diseases of the stomach and intestinal tract: ulcers, hypo- and hyperacid gastritis, polyposis, dysbacteriosis, colitis, dyskinesia.
• Internal diseases (diseases of the liver and pancreas, diabetes mellitus, oncological pathology, intoxication).
• Contact dermatitis – allergic reactions to topical application of ointments, deodorants, soaps and washing powders.
• Poor personal hygiene, use of coarse toilet paper, frequent shaving of the hair around the anus, stale underwear, underwear made of synthetic fabrics, or wearing thongs with coarse seams.

In some cases, the cause of itching in the anus is the use of antibiotics, especially erythromycin and tetracycline drugs. The risk group for the onset of the disease also includes people who are overweight or sweat excessively.

Symptoms

The main symptom of the disease is constant itching in the anus, which increases at night and on contact with clothing. With a long course of the disease, the skin around the anus turns red, covered with scratches, coarsens over time or, on the contrary, becomes thinner, and it is easy to injure it.

Diagnostics

Despite the fact that the symptoms manifest themselves quite clearly, it is possible to talk about what problem caused it and what needs to be done next only after consulting a specialist, namely a proctologist, who will conduct a series of studies and prescribe tests, based on the results of which he will make an accurate and correct diagnosis.

In addition, a number of tests are prescribed:

• Scraping. According to this analysis, it is possible to say for sure whether the presence of worms is the cause of itching. In the event that it is positive, then the doctor will direct you to pass the feces for the presence of worm eggs in it.
• Blood sugar test. It is very important to donate blood for sugar, since in a few percent of cases the reason lies precisely in this. Before passing the analysis, it is advisable not to eat in the evening, as well as in the morning. It is allowed to drink only water and then in small quantities
• Bacteriological analysis of feces. This analysis will be prescribed to the patient if, in addition to itching in the anus, he is also tormented by loose stools that do not stop for more than three days (taking into account taking drugs to strengthen it).
• Irrigoscopy and sigmoidoscopy, which are prescribed when the doctor suspected problems with the rectum.
• Ultrasound examination of the prostate in men.
• Ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs in the event that, in addition to itching, nausea and occasional vomiting are constantly tormented.
• Gastroscopy when there are problems with digestion.

Women also need to consult a gynecologist.

Treatment

Daily hygiene procedures are recommended as a preventive measure and to reduce the discomfort of the patient with anal itching, after a bowel movement, wet antibacterial wipes or cool running water can be used to clean the skin around the anus, it is better to give preference to loose underwear made of natural fabrics, which is well permeable air.

In difficult cases, the doctor may prescribe glucocorticosteroid hormones, treatment of the itchy area with corticosteroid ointments, cooling water-alcohol solutions with anesthesin, menthol, lidocaine, novocaine, soothing suppositories.

It is necessary to exclude: spicy food, which can contribute to the production of a secret that causes irritation of the skin and mucous membranes of the anus. Avoid stress, as skin itching can be the result of a general neuro-emotional overstrain.

Based on the results of the examination and the determination of the cause of anal itching, a course of drug treatment is prescribed. Medicines can be applied intravenously, orally, and topically to the inflamed area.

Regional Dermatovenerological Dispensary, Lipetsk

Enterobiasis: how to repel the attack of pinworms

Along with roundworms, pinworms are the most common parasite in the children’s (and in adults, to be honest) digestive tract. They mainly affect the upper parts of the large intestine. Why enterobiasis? It is derived from the Latin name for pinworms – Enterobius vermicularis. They are transmitted only from person to person, domestic and other animals are beyond suspicion here. So, to paraphrase a well-known saying, a person is not a friend to a person in relation to enterobiasis, and even more so not a brother, but a source of infection. Perhaps the most inquisitive readers of our site have already read the articles on ascariasis and toxocariasis, and they have a question: what, in general, is the difference? Worms – they are worms, why go into details so much. This is a fairly common mistake young mothers make. It is erroneous, because Parasitic organisms, even within the same species group (in our case, Nematodes), may differ, which requires different approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of helminthic invasions.

Close-up of a pinworm

The look of a pinworm is not intimidating at all, unlike, say, a liver fluke: it is a nondescript white worm about 1 cm long (female) or 3-4 mm long (male). The front end (oral part) of the helminth has a slight thickening for attachment to the intestinal wall. The rear end of the female pinworm is pointed (sorry for the involuntary pun), while the male is rounded.

The pinworm lives for about 4 weeks, passing through a number of important milestones of its life during this period. Fertilization of the female takes place in the usual environment for the pinworm – in the large intestine, after which the male dies, and the female, at the call of her nature, rushes to the exit from the rectum. Then comes the stage of egg deposition, which, in order not to go far, the female lays around the anus, in the fold under the buttocks or in the perineum. This usually happens at night: eggs are attached to the surface of the skin with a special sticky substance that causes itching and irritation. Having given a start in life to future offspring, the female also dies. And then…

Way of transmission of pinworms

After the birth of the egg, the larva matures in it for some time – about 5 hours, after which it is ready to continue the parasitic lifestyle of its ancestors. As mentioned a little above, the process of laying eggs is accompanied by severe itching, forcing a person to scratch the itchy place. This is exactly what pinworms are waiting for: through hands contaminated with parasite eggs, they spread further: under the nails, on bed linen, dishes, common items and, most importantly, in the oral cavity, then they are swallowed and returned to their native land (i. e. in colon). Once in the intestines, pinworms come out of the eggs and begin to grow. After two weeks, they are ready for further procreation. Thus, the route of transmission of pinworms is fecal-oral. It can be prevented by observing the rules of personal hygiene.

Symptoms of enterobiasis

We list the main symptoms of enterobiasis, among which there are both local, caused by irritation of the skin, and general:

• sensation of itching on the eve of the anus at night and early morning hours;

• combs. This sign of enterobiasis is a direct consequence of the previous one. In addition, with the progression of helminthic invasion, itching on the inner surface of the buttocks and in the area of ​​​​the external genital organs becomes even more accentuated, as a result of which the child constantly scratches these places, resulting in skin disorders in the form of scratches and scratches. And if an infection gets into these scratches, then they are set off by redness, swelling and soreness;

• disorders of the nervous system. It happens when pinworms are present in the intestines for a long time and prolific. Somnological disorders develop (due to itching, sleep becomes inferior), headaches, irritability;

• digestive disorders (poor appetite, increased gas formation, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, mucus or blood in the feces).

The last two groups of symptoms are associated with the vital activity of the parasite. Pinworms feed on blood from the intestinal wall, releasing mucus and toxins in return, which are absorbed into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body, acting incl. and on the nervous system.

One should not think that enterobiasis is such a harmless disease. Intensive reproduction of the parasite contributes to its entry into the organs adjacent to the epicenter of its vital activity. In the absence of an adequate response, a number of unpleasant complications are possible. So, pinworms can provoke inflammation of the vaginal mucosa (vaginitis), appendicitis, cholecystitis.

Diagnosis of enterobiosis

Diagnosis consists of taking an anamnesis (complaints of the patient, the time of the onset of the first signs, the presence of similar symptoms in other family members, what is the situation with hygiene). Then, under a microscope, an analysis of feces or scrapings from the skin near the anus is examined. The third stage of diagnosis is a blood test, which reacts to the presence of parasites in the body with eosinophilia and, in severe cases, anemia.

Treatment of enterobiasis

Treatment of enterobiasis is not an intractable task, but this thesis is valid only if preventive measures are taken in parallel and personal hygiene rules are strictly observed, not only by the patient, but by all members of his family. In the process of treating enterobiasis, it is necessary to regularly wash the anus, change underwear, which should be boiled and ironed.

Otherwise, it is necessary to remove helminths from the body. For this purpose, the following drugs are used in enterobiasis:

mebendazole (vermox, wormin)
It deprives the pinworms of the ability to move in the intestines, as a result of which they die and are excreted;

Piperazine adipate (piperazine). It inhibits the transmission of neuromuscular excitation, due to which pinworms lose their ability to adhere to the intestinal wall;

Pyrantel (nemocide, helminthox). The action is similar to the previous drug: blocking the neuromuscular transmission;

The selection of an anthelmintic agent and control of treatment should be carried out only by a doctor. The duration of treatment depends on the extent of the lesion: from 1 to 5 days with a possible repetition of the course after 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately, to date, the fact of the formation of immunity to pinworms has not been confirmed, which makes it possible to re-infect if sanitary and hygienic rules are not observed.

Along with roundworms, pinworms are the most common parasite in the children’s (and in adults, to be honest) digestive tract. They mainly affect the upper parts of the large intestine. Why enterobiasis? It is derived from the Latin name for pinworms – Enterobius vermicularis. They are transmitted only from person to person, domestic and other animals are beyond suspicion here.