Pinworm infection, also called enterobiasis, is caused by the white, slender nematode Enterobius vermicularis.
It is primarily a disease of children.
However, almost all parents also get the infection from their children.
Pinworm resides in the cecum, appendix, and ascending colon in humans.
Female pinworms are 8-13 mm long, and males are 2-5 mm long.
The disease is transmitted via direct contact with contaminated furniture, bed linen, toilets, doorknobs, towels, and other objects.
It also can be transmitted during sexual contact.
Risk factors for pinworm infection include, poor personal hygiene, overcrowding, inadequate worm treatment, and living with an infected individual.
Patients with pinworm infection often experience itching or pricking pain in the anal region, usually at nighttime or in the early morning.
These symptoms are usually produced when a gravid female pinworm migrates to the anal area and inserts her tail into the mucosa for egg deposition.
Other symptoms include restlessness, difficulty in sleeping, irritability, vaginal itching in females, and rarely, abdominal discomfort or loss of appetite.
Treatment of pinworm infection includes anthelmintic agents such as mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, and albendazole.
It is important to treat all the family members to prevent reinfection.
In addition, maintaining good personal hygiene, cleaning of clothes, bed linen, and other possible contaminated objects are important in preventing pinworm infection.
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