Threadworms are very common and the Royal College of General Practitioners estimates that 40% of children under 10 years of age suffer from threadworms at least once1.
Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) are thin, parasitic worms which mature and reproduce in the intestines. At night, the female emerges from the anus and lays up to 15,000 eggs on the surrounding skin, which may lead to itching.
Despite being unpleasant: serious complications from threadworms are rare, but infestation may contribute to insomnia, restlessness and irritability. Some sufferers endure an intense itch, so pharmacists should also be alert for problems linked to scratching, such as skin irritation, haemorrhage or secondary bacterial infections.
However, most threadworms infestations are asymptomatic – a characteristic that helps the parasite spread and means that all the family should be treated to help prevent re-infection. In addition, pharmacists can, by combining OTC medications with hygiene advice, effectively treat most cases of threadworm.
The Threadworm Lifecycle
Eggs on the fingers and under the finger nails transfer between children in schools and nurseries, and to other members of the family. Eggs are transferred into the mouth and swallowed. After the eggs are ingested, they hatch in the duodenum and reproduce in the large intestine.
Once the eggs have been swallowed, they hatch out in the gut, and the adult worms cling to the gut wall.
Female threadworms come out of the bottom at night and lay eggs. The sticky eggs cause itching, so when the bottom is scratched...
... the eggs are transferred to the fingers and then to the mouth which continues the cycle.
Read a full article about Threadworms here
1. Royal College of General Practitioners, fact sheet 32, 1996
