Pinworm Infestation: When Most Often Possible, Symptoms, Routes Of Infection

Page content

Development life cycle of pinworms
Ways of pinworm infection in adults
Ways of pinworm infection in children
Reasons for re-infection
You can defeat parasites!

Pinworms are the most common type of helminth that infects humans. This is one of the varieties of nematodes, it is small in size. For the development of the parasite, it needs to enter the human digestive system.

Pinworm infection is often found in children, it provokes various negative symptoms, and requires timely medical care.

What to do in such a situation? To get started, we recommend reading this article. This article details the methods of dealing with parasites. We also recommend contacting a specialist. Read the article >>>

Pinworms

Development life cycle of pinworms

In order to become infected, it is necessary for the person to swallow the invasive eggs. Thus, they enter the digestive system, reach the intestines, where larvae hatch from the eggs. Thanks to special holes on the head, the larvae are easily attached to the intestinal walls. For development, the larvae feed on the contents of the intestines, blood.

When the larva develops to a mature individual (about 2 weeks), the stage of active reproduction begins. After mating, the males die and are taken out during bowel movements.

Pinworm life cycle

A month later, the female begins to lay eggs. To do this, at night, when the intestinal muscles are relaxed, she gets out and lays eggs around the anus, between the folds, in the perineum.

The female lays about 20,000 eggs, which develop within 6 hours. After that, she dies. The conditions around the anus are most favorable for the development of eggs - the temperature is kept around +36 degrees, the humidity is about 90%.

Ripe pinworm eggs become invasive, and larvae can already hatch from them. In the external environment, eggs retain their vital functions from a couple of hours to several months - it all depends on various factors.

Pinworm eggs under a microscope

They are not affected by chlorine-containing agents, but direct sunlight is deadly for eggs. Usually pinworms live for 20 days, extremely rarely - 40.

Ways of pinworm infection in adults

Factors that increase the likelihood of infection

How can you get pinworms

uncut nails - under the nails there is a favorable environment for the development of eggs. The infected person can transfer them under the nails, after scratching the perineum;
eating while working at the computer;
ignoring the rules of personal hygiene - the banal refusal to wash hands with soap significantly increases the likelihood of invasion;
eating food while in bed.

combing the anus, where the female laid eggs. After that, a person, without washing his hands, sits down to eat, contacts with household items, other people, spreading eggs;
handshake - if there are eggs on the hand;
swallowing eggs, during contact with bedding;
eggs can move with dust;
contact with any household items on which pinworm eggs are present. Infection occurs from contact with any thing that the patient touched;
caring for an infected person, without observing hygiene rules;
the use of unwashed, dirty products, water;
contact with any insects that have brought eggs on their bodies, such as flies;
contact with animals with invasive eggs on their fur.

Ways of pinworm infection in children

Since the child leads an active life, he tries in every possible way to study the world around him, contacts with animals, plays with other children, several main ways of pinworm infestation can be noted:

Way	Description
Oral	Anything a child touches can be contaminated with eggs. Children try to taste everything - this is the main way of infection. After contact with an infected object, the child must pull dirty hands into his mouth, thereby becoming infected.
Domestic	Contact with dirty toys, consumption of unwashed food. This is the most common way to catch pinworms. In any case, the eggs enter the mouth, and then the child swallows them along with saliva.
Contact	Pets and stray animals are potential carriers of parasites. Having played with an animal and after that without washing your hands is a sure way to get infected with helminths.

Reasons for re-infection

Failure to comply with the rules of personal hygiene - dirty hands, linen are favorable factors for the development of enterobiasis. Relapse can occur if you do not undergo repeated treatment, ignore preventive measures.

Enterobiasis is a common disease provoked by pinworms. If a person goes to a medical institution on time, the treatment is quick and easy.

To prevent infection, it is important to observe preventive measures, to abandon self-medication when negative symptoms appear. This can seriously affect the state of health, complicate the process of recovery and diagnosis of the disease.