A common children’s disease, caused by threadworms in the large intestine which cause itching round the anus.
Infection of the large intestine with the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis, occurring esp. in children. The females deposit eggs around the anus, which cause itching; if the patient scratches the area and then puts the fingers in or near the mouth, reinfection occurs. Treatment is by anthelmintics (agents that destroy worms).
Pinworm infestation of the large intestine.
A disease, common in children throughout the world, caused by the parasitic nematode Enterobius vermicularis in the large intestine. The worms do not cause any serious lesions of the gut wall although, rarely, they may provoke appendicitis. The emergence of the female from the anus at night irritates and inflames the surrounding skin, causing the patient to scratch and thereby contaminate fingers and nails with infective eggs. The eggs may reinfect the same child or be spread to other children. Worms may occasionally enter the vulva and cause a discharge from the vagina. Enterobiasis responds well to treatment with piperazine compounds.
Infection with Enterobius vermicularis, the threadworm or pinworm. It is the most common of all the intestinal parasites in Britain, and the least harmful. The male is about 6 mm (4 inch) in length and the female about 12 mm ( inch) in length. Each resembles a little piece of thread. These worms live in considerable numbers in the lower bowel, affecting children particularly. They usually cause no symptoms, but can cause irritation around the anus or within the female genitalia, especially at night when the female worm emerges from the anus to lay its eggs and then die. The most effective form of treatment is either viprynium embonate or piperazine citrate, which should be taken by the whole family. Bedclothes must then be laundered.