UNderstanding The Causes Of Worms
Parasitic diseases are much more widespread than many people realize. These diseases
affect not only impoverished peoples in remote countries but they also can be important
health problems for rich and poor throughout the world, including the United States.
As with other parasitic diseases, roundworm infections are more common in warm climates
than in cooler, temperate areas of the world. Many roundworm parasitic diseases result
from human carelessness and a lack of appropriate personal hygiene and sanitation
measures. Thus, the best solution to the problem rests in preventing these infections
rather than in curing them.
Roundworms, or nematodes, are a group of invertebrates (animals having no backbone)
with long, round bodies. They range in size from those plainly visible to the naked eye to
those several hundredths of an inch long and visible only under a microscope. Most
roundworms or their eggs are found in the soil and can be picked up on the hands and
transferred to the mouth or can enter through the skin. With the exception of Trichinella
spiralis, which causes trichinosis, mature roundworms eventually end up or reside in the
intestine and cause a variety of health problems.
Nematodes are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. A handful of soil will
contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants or
animals. Free-living species are abundant, including nematodes that feed on bacteria,
fungi, and other nematodes, yet the vast majority of species encountered are poorly
understood biologically. There are nearly 20,000 described species classified in the
phylum Nemata.
Nematodes are structurally simple organisms. Adult nematodes are comprised of
approximately 1,000 somatic cells, and potentially hundreds of cells associated with the
reproductive system . Nematodes have been characterized as a tube within a tube ;
referring to the alimentary canal which extends from the mouth on the anterior end, to the
anus located near the tail. Nematodes possess digestive , nervous, excretory, and
reproductive systems, but lack a discrete circulatory or respiratory system. In size they
range from 0.3 mm to over 8 meters.
Most nematodes feed on bacteria, fungi, and other soil organisms. Others are parasitic,
obtaining their food from animals (such as the dog heartworm), humans (such as the pinworm)
, and plants.
Some of the most common parasitic roundworms in humans are: Enterobius vermicularis,
the pinworm that causes enterobiasis; Ascaris lumbridoides, the large intestinal roundworm
that causes ascariasis; Necator and Ancylostoma, two types of hookworms cause
ancylostomiasis; Trichuris trichiura, the whipworm that causes trichuriasis; Strongyloides
stercoralis that causes strongyloidiasis; and Trichonella spirae that causes trichinosis.
Nematodes that do not infect human intestines are not discussed in this fact sheet.
Pinworms generally find a home in the colon, or large intestine. At night, they come
through the anus to lay their eggs on the surrounding skin outside of it. Sometimes the
worms migrate to other areas of the body, such as the urethra (the tube that takes urine
from the bladder outside the body), vagina, fallopian tubes (tubes connecting the ovaries
with the uterus) or pelvis, causing inflammation. After leaving the colon to lay eggs or
migrate to other parts of the body, the worms usually die, so the infection can be
self-limiting. Often, though, children, and sometimes adults, reinfect themselves.
An itchy anus is the most common symptom of pinworms. It is caused by the adult worm
migrating out through the anus to lay eggs. This usually occurs at night, which is when
the itching will be most intense.
Presently there is no way to prevent pinworms. Treatment is not usually needed, though
parents are often concerned about the pinworms in their children. One dose of a
combination of the drugs mebendazole and pyrantel pamoate is usually given and repeated
again 2 weeks later.
Parasitic diseases are much more widespread than many people realize. These diseases
affect not only impoverished peoples in remote countries but they also can be important
health problems for rich and poor throughout the world, including the United States.
As with other parasitic diseases, roundworm infections are more common in warm climates
than in cooler, temperate areas of the world. Many roundworm parasitic diseases result
from human carelessness and a lack of appropriate personal hygiene and sanitation
measures. Thus, the best solution to the problem rests in preventing these infections
rather than in curing them.
Roundworms, or nematodes, are a group of invertebrates (animals having no backbone)
with long, round bodies. They range in size from those plainly visible to the naked eye to
those several hundredths of an inch long and visible only under a microscope. Most
roundworms or their eggs are found in the soil and can be picked up on the hands and
transferred to the mouth or can enter through the skin. With the exception of Trichinella
spiralis, which causes trichinosis, mature roundworms eventually end up or reside in the
intestine and cause a variety of health problems.
Nematodes are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. A handful of soil will
contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants or
animals. Free-living species are abundant, including nematodes that feed on bacteria,
fungi, and other nematodes, yet the vast majority of species encountered are poorly
understood biologically. There are nearly 20,000 described species classified in the
phylum Nemata.
Nematodes are structurally simple organisms. Adult nematodes are comprised of
approximately 1,000 somatic cells, and potentially hundreds of cells associated with the
reproductive system . Nematodes have been characterized as a tube within a tube ;
referring to the alimentary canal which extends from the mouth on the anterior end, to the
anus located near the tail. Nematodes possess digestive , nervous, excretory, and
reproductive systems, but lack a discrete circulatory or respiratory system. In size they
range from 0.3 mm to over 8 meters.
Most nematodes feed on bacteria, fungi, and other soil organisms. Others are parasitic,
obtaining their food from animals (such as the dog heartworm), humans (such as the pinworm)
, and plants.
Some of the most common parasitic roundworms in humans are: Enterobius vermicularis,
the pinworm that causes enterobiasis; Ascaris lumbridoides, the large intestinal roundworm
that causes ascariasis; Necator and Ancylostoma, two types of hookworms cause
ancylostomiasis; Trichuris trichiura, the whipworm that causes trichuriasis; Strongyloides
stercoralis that causes strongyloidiasis; and Trichonella spirae that causes trichinosis.
Nematodes that do not infect human intestines are not discussed in this fact sheet.
Pinworms generally find a home in the colon, or large intestine. At night, they come
through the anus to lay their eggs on the surrounding skin outside of it. Sometimes the
worms migrate to other areas of the body, such as the urethra (the tube that takes urine
from the bladder outside the body), vagina, fallopian tubes (tubes connecting the ovaries
with the uterus) or pelvis, causing inflammation. After leaving the colon to lay eggs or
migrate to other parts of the body, the worms usually die, so the infection can be
self-limiting. Often, though, children, and sometimes adults, reinfect themselves.
An itchy anus is the most common symptom of pinworms. It is caused by the adult worm
migrating out through the anus to lay eggs. This usually occurs at night, which is when
the itching will be most intense.
Presently there is no way to prevent pinworms. Treatment is not usually needed, though
parents are often concerned about the pinworms in their children. One dose of a
combination of the drugs mebendazole and pyrantel pamoate is usually given and repeated
again 2 weeks later.
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