Definition of Infection, pinworm
Infection, pinworm definition - medical term An infection caused by a small, white intestinal worm:
the pinworm or, more formally, Enterobius vermicularis. The pinworm is about the
length of a staple and lives for the most part within the rectum of humans. While
an infected person is asleep, female pinworms leave the intestines through the anus
and deposit eggs on the skin around the anus. Because Enterobius vermicularis is
a pinworm, pinworm infection is also called enterobiasis.
The symptoms of a pinworm infection are caused by the female pinworm laying her
eggs. Most symptoms of pinworm infection are mild, and many infected people have
no symptoms or, at most , some itching around the anus, disturbed sleep, and irritability.
However, if the infection is heavy, these symptoms may be correspondingly more severe
and also include loss of appetite, restlessness, and insomnia.
Pinworm is the most common worm infection in the United States. School-age children
have the highest rates of pinworm infection. They are followed on frequency by preschoolers.
Institutional settings, including day care facilities, often harbor cases of pinworm
infection. Sometimes, nearly half of the children may be infected. Pinworm infection
often occurs in more than one family member. Adults are less likely to have pinworm
infection, except mothers of infected children.
Within a few hours of being deposited on the skin around the anus, pinworm eggs
become infective (capable of infecting another person). They can survive up to 2
weeks on clothing, bedding, or other objects. Infection is acquired when these eggs
are accidentally swallowed.
If pinworms are suspected, transparent adhesive tape or a pinworm paddle (supplied
by your health care provider) are applied to the anal region. The eggs adhere to
the sticky tape or paddle and are identified by examination under a microscope.
The test should be done as soon as you wake up in the morning (because bathing or
having a bowel movement may remove eggs). The exam may require several samples for
diagnosis. Samples taken from under the fingernails may also contain eggs (since
scratching of the anal area is common). At night, the adult worms can sometimes
be seen directly in bedclothes or around the anal area.
Pinworm infection is treated with prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.
Treatment involves a two-dose course. The second dose should be given 2 weeks after
the first. Even with the availability of drugs OTC, you should consult your health
care provider before treating a suspected case of pinworm.
If the pinworm infection occurs again, the infected person should be treated
with the same two-dose treatment. Close family contacts should also be treated.
If the infection occurs again, you should search for the source of the infection.
Playmates, schoolmates, close contacts outside the house, and household members
should be considered. Each infected person should receive the usual two-dose treatment.
In some cases it may be necessary to treat with more than two doses. One option
is four to six treatments spaced 2 weeks apart.
To prevent further pinworm infection, the following practices help reduce the
risk of continuous self reinfection:
- Bathe when you wake up (to help reduce the pinworm egg contamination).
- Change and wash your underwear each day. Wear pinworm-free underclothing.
- Frequent changing of night clothes is similarly recommended.
- Change underwear, night clothes, and sheets after each treatment.
- Open blinds or curtains in bedrooms during the day (because the pinworm
eggs are sensitive to sunlight).
- Personal hygiene should include washing hands after going to the toilet
and before eating.
- Trim fingernails short.
- Don't bite nails (because of the danger of swallowing pinworm eggs)..
- Don't scratch bare anal areas (that is where the pinworm eggs are).
Measures such as cleaning and vacuuming the entire house or washing sheets every
day are probably not necessary or effective. Screening for pinworm infection in
schools or institutions is rarely recommended. Children may return to day care after
the first treatment dose, after bathing, and after trimming and scrubbing nails.
This entry is based on information from the Division of Parasitic Diseases of
the National Center for Infectious Diseases of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (the CDC).
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