| |
 Threadworms
thrive in many communities worldwide and are the most common of the parasitic
worms, they are considered fairly harmless and are most commonly found in
children although anyone can get infected, but they are not caused through bad
hygiene.
In the USA they is known as pinworms, (genus Enterobius), in the UK as
threadworm or seatworm. Threadworm is a nematode or roundworm. The medical
condition associated with threadworm infestation is known as enterobiasis, or
less precisely as oxyuriasis in reference to the family Oxyuridae.
The threadworm is a nematode, which are distinguishable from other helminth by
their unsegmented cylindrical bodies that taper at both ends. The adult female
threadworm is larger than its male counterpart and can grow up to 1.5cm in
length.
The symptoms are often itchy bottoms in the vicinity of the anus and sometimes
the vagina in girls, and the itch is often worse at night. If you suspect you or
your children may have threadworm, wait for an hour or two after your child has
gone to sleep and then use a torch to check for any adult worms around the anus.
This is the time the females come out to lay their eggs. Threadworms are small
white worms that look like short pieces of white cotton, about 5-10mm long.
Life cycle:
The eggs must be eaten and they hatch in the digestive tract and migrate through
the small intestine towards the colon as they mature. The process is believed to
take anything from two to eight weeks and it is thought that the egg laying
process begins after about five weeks. (There is no authoritative consensus on
this). It is thought that the females survive for 5 to 8 weeks, and males about
7 weeks.
On Maturation the females emerge from the anus and deposit their eggs before
dying.
Transmission:
After the eggs have been initially deposited near the anus, they are readily
transmitted to other surfaces through contamination by fingers, clothing and
bedding. The eggs can live up to three weeks outside the body and the sticky
nature of the eggs allows them to transmit via almost any surface including
pets. When a person touches an infected surface and then puts their fingers in
their mouth, the eggs are swallowed after which then pass into his digestive
tract and hatch into baby worms.
These grow into adult worms as they move down the intestines. This takes about
two to four weeks before they eventually come out the person’s rectum.
Treatments:
Pharmacies have several over the counter medications and it is advised that
everyone in the house is treated at the same time because the eggs are easily
spread around and not everyone shows symptoms. Note pregnant women and children
under two years must get medical advice before using any medical remedy.
Two common treatments are Vermox or Combantrin-1 which contains mebendazole, an
anthelmintic that works by interfering with the proteins in either the worm’s
intestine or absorptive cells. This inhibits the threadworms’ ability to absorb
glucose which depletes them of the energy that they need to survive. As a result
the threadworm dies within several days.
Combantrin, which contains pyrantel embonate as the active ingredient, this is a
“neuro-muscular blocking agent” which causes paralysis of the threadworm’s
nervous system. The paralysed worms are then expelled in the faeces by the
normal actions of the bowel.
Depending on the product you use, you may need to re-treat two weeks later as
eggs remain alive for up to two weeks and can re-infect the family in that time.
A second treatment will kill any worms that have hatched from these eggs and
help break the cycle.
These treatments are not intended to be used by pregnant women or children under
two years-of-age and if you want to use the worm treatments in these situations
then you should consult your doctor or pharmacist first.
You should give your home a thorough clean after treatment in order to kill any
remaining eggs and to help prevent re-infestation.
Natural treatments:
As the worms have a short life cycle, simply preventing re-infection can be
enough.
Eating garlic raw or cooked can be enough to eliminate them
Garlic as a suppository is said to kill mature females as tey try to emerge.
Grapefruit extract has antibacterial and antiparasitic agents and is effective
against a wide range of parasites and bacteria.
Carrots are offensive to all parasites, raw, grated or mashed are a safe
treatment for threadworms, especially in children. Simply take a small cup of
grated carrot taken every morning.
Coconut, papaya, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds and wormwood all repel intestinal
worms and during treatments it helps to avoid sweets and fatty foods.
Avoiding Infection:
A morning shower or bath will remove any eggs laid during the night.
Wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and before each meal as awll
as not scratching your bum and keeping your fingers out of your mouth!
Make sure that everyone in the household uses their own towel and facecloth.
During treatment change the nightclothes and underwear of the person with the
infection daily and wash in hot water.
Vacuum as often as possible, especially bedrooms, to remove as much dust and
eggs which could be anywhere.
Bed-sheets should be changed frequently, especially in the first 7 to 10 days
after starting the treatment and washed in hot water in order to kill the
remaining eggs.
Keep the nails of the infected people short to reduce the chances of eggs being
stored there which will also discourage children’s nail biting.
Childrens toys may need to be sterilized a couple of times each day.
Keep the toilet and the bathroom area clean, eggs can attach to toilet seats and
door handles.
Have children wear cotton gloves at night.
Avoid eating food in bedrooms and avoid food and drinks containing a lot of
sugar when using treatments containing mebendazole as these are trying to stave
the worms of glucose.
If you are using a treatment containing Pyrantel embonate then eating high-fibre
food will help to prevent constipation and will assist expelling the worms.
References:
Wiki List of human parasites
Mums Net Talk on treatments
|
|
|
|
