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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffYou acquire a pinworm infection by accidentally swallowing pinworm eggs. The microscopic eggs can be carried to your mouth by contaminated food, drink or fingers. Once swallowed, the eggs hatch in the intestines and mature into adult worms within a few weeks.
Female worms crawl outside the anus to lay their eggs, which often results in anal itching. When a person scratches the itchy area, the eggs cling to fingers and are then transferred to other surfaces, such as toys or bedclothes. The eggs can also be transferred from contaminated fingers to food, liquids or other people.
Pinworm eggs can survive for two to three weeks on surfaces. You can become infected with pinworms if you consume contaminated food or drink, or if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your mouth.
- Parasites and Health: Enterobiasis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/html/Enterobiasis.htm. Accessed Dec. 4, 2009.
- Dent AE, et al. Enterobiasis. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/174305878-6/925552497/1608/740.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50293-0_6143. Accessed Dec. 4, 2009.
- Craig SA, et al. Enterobiasis. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00092-X--s0845&uniq=174305878&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=925552497#lpState=opened&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00092-X--s0845%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05472-0. Accessed Dec. 4, 2009.
- Pinworm infection. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/common/stomach/139.html. Accessed Dec. 4, 2009.
- Fact sheet: Pinworm infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/pinworm/factsht_pinworm.htm. Accessed Dec. 7, 2009.
- Leder K, et al. Enterobiasis and trichuriasis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 7, 2009.
- Ferri FF. Pinworms. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/174689871-3/926963641/2088/500.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00025-3--sc0155_10293. Accessed Dec. 8, 2009.
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