Where do threadworms come from?
Threadworms produce large numbers of microscopic eggs. These eggs are present in house dust and stick to clothes, carpets and bedding. They can also be transmitted through contact with a person who is already infected with worms. It is very easy for people to ingest the eggs because the worms produce so many of them and they are so small. After the eggs have been ingested they pass into a person’s small intestine (bowel) where they hatch and mature. A few weeks after hatching out these worms can reproduce — usually about a month later. When the worms are fully grown, the female comes out onto the skin around the bottom at night and lays eggs. At this time, symptoms may develop, including the classic one of a severe ‘itchy bottom’. The worms can also often be seen on bowel movements or around the anus especially at night. Some children have no symptoms at all, but some of the other signs of threadworm infection your child may show are: • tiredness; • disturbed sleep; • teeth grinding; •
