If another type of worm is suspected, you may need to give a stool sample for testing. This is best done first thing in the morning before any eggs are washed or wiped away. The doctor may do a ‘sticky tape test’, which involves gently pressing a clear piece of adhesive against the anal skin, then examining the tape under a microscope to look for eggs. If you think you or your child has worms, you should see your doctor, who may do tests to diagnose the condition and identify the type of worm involved. However, scratching can aggravate the problem and make it more difficult to treat. They are generally harmless and don’t cause long-term damage. They are more embarrassing than anything else, because they can cause an irresistible urge to scratch the bottom. Threadworms do not go away by themselves, and people do not build up immunity to them, so they must be treated in order to eradicate them totally from the body. Children may show other signs of threadworm infection such as: Some people with mild infections have no symptoms at all. The area around the anus may be red and have scratch marks. The worms can also often be seen on bowel movements or around the anus, especially at night. The classic symptom is a severe ‘itchy bottom’. Threadworm symptoms usually have a sudden onset, often at night. When the worms are fully grown, the female comes out onto the skin around the bottom at night and lays eggs. A few weeks after hatching out these worms can reproduce - usually about a month later. Also, because the eggs may survive for several weeks, infection may be through contact with contaminated objects, such as bedding or clothing.Īfter the eggs have been ingested, they pass into a person’s small intestine (bowel) where they hatch into larvae which then migrate to the colon and mature. Self re-infection is also common and results from the microscopic eggs sticking to the fingers or lodging under the fingernails after scratching the anal area, and then being re-ingested. It is very easy for people to ingest the eggs because the worms produce so many of them and they are so small. They can also be transmitted through direct contact with a person who is already infected with worms. The worms are caught by accidentally ingesting the eggs, which then hatch and infect the intestine.
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