Do pin thread worms live outside the body e.g in my carpets?
Over 200 million people worldwide are thought to be infested by pinworms with 30 to 40 million living in the United States. This worm is found in both warm and cold climates and no socioeconomic group is immune to infection. It is commonly found in crowded institutions such as day-care centers, schools, hospitals and orphanages. It is most prevalent in children. They are tiny, 2-13 millimeters, and ivory or pearly-white in color. Eighty percent of the children between 2 and 10 years of age contract pinworms at some time. Adult worms inhabit the cecum and other portions of the large and small intestines. Female worms crawl down the intestines and pass out of the anus to lay their eggs around the anal region at night. Occasionally, they can be found on the first stool in the morning. One female can deposit over 15,000 eggs that become infective immediately or within a few hours. This common occuring worm is acquired through contaminated food, water, and house dust, as well as human-to-hu
