The pinworms went away, and my friend thought all was well, but in the two months since, they have come back repeatedly. Both the same child and another child have them. My friend is beside herself with frustration and disgust.
All those affected have taken the anti-worm medication, but not at the same time. My friend has cut everyone’s nails, laundered sheets repeatedly and told them not to touch dirt.
My children have spent several hours at her house. I haven’t seen pinworms on them, but I am worried.
Although the infections are not dangerous, they are kind of gross. They may cause bothersome anal itching and look like little wiggly pieces of white thread, less than half an inch long.
Pinworms are treated with prescription drugs such as albendazole http://rxwebdrugs.com/2013/03/22/albenza-albendazole/ (Albenza) or mebendazole http://westerndrugsdirect.com/vermox/ (Vermox). Pyrantel pamoate is another worm medication sold without a prescription under names such as Pin-X and Reese’s Pinworm Medicine. Retreatment in two weeks is recommended to combat re-infestation. Frequent hand-washing also may be helpful.
Tapeworm infection is caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs or larvae. If you ingest certain tapeworm eggs, they can migrate outside your intestines and form larval cysts in body tissues and organs (invasive infection). If you ingest tapeworm larvae, however, they develop into adult tapeworms in your intestines (intestinal infection).
An adult tapeworm consists of a head, neck and chain of segments called proglottids. When you have an intestinal tapeworm infection, the tapeworm head adheres to the intestine wall, and the proglottids grow and produce eggs. Adult tapeworms can live for up to 20 years in a host. Intestinal tapeworm infections are usually mild, but invasive larval infections can cause serious complications.Echinococcus tapeworms are parasites that infect dog species worldwide and occasionally are transmitted to humans. Infection occurs most commonly in persons who raise sheep or cattle, and who have contact with dogs. The tapeworm eggs are typically ingested during play with dogs or through consumption of garden vegetables or water contaminated by dog feces. The most common sites of tapeworm cyst formation within the body are the liver and lungs, although any internal organ or bone can be infected. The tapeworm infection is generally asymptomatic for 10 to 20 years, until the cyst grows large enough to cause problems. Untreated infection can be fatal. The possibility of this uncommon infection is most often considered when cysts are found on imaging studies of affected organs. Serologic testing has variable sensitivity, but it can be helpful. Surgical removal of cysts is the usual treatment, often with perioperative use of anthelmintic medication to prevent recurrence of disease caused by later growth of undetected daughter cysts.
Echinococcosis (also known as hydatid disease) is an important public health problem in many parts of the world, especially in rural areas where sheep and cattle are raised.1,2 Echinococcus tapeworms are parasitic organisms with a two-stage life cycle.3,4 In the adult phase, the tapeworm lives in the intestines of the dog who is the so-called “definitive” host. A great number of other animals, especially sheep or cattle and, occasionally, humans, can become infected with the larval stage of the worm and are called “intermediate” hosts. Intermediate hosts become infected when they ingest food or water contaminated by dog feces. Most human cases occur in areas where dogs and livestock are raised together
