Eggs can pass to other people when they touch these surfaces and then touch their mouth. They take around 2 weeks to hatch. Children can get threadworms again after they've been treated for them if they get the eggs in their mouth.
After the eggs have been swallowed they pass into a person's intestine, where they hatch. After about 2 weeks the threadworms will have grown into adults, at which point they'll reproduce and the cycle of infection will start again.
Also, threadworm eggs can survive for up to 2 weeks outside the body (on bedding, clothes, etc). So, children may swallow some eggs at first by playing with other children who have eggs on their fingers or from food, drink, or dust that has been contaminated with threadworm eggs.
Although not all infected people will have symptoms, many will experience itching around the rectum. Some females may also experience itching in the genital area. How soon do symptoms appear? Symptoms usually are noticed one to two months after infection.
People become infected, usually unknowingly, by swallowing (ingesting) infective pinworm eggs that are on fingers, under fingernails, or on clothing, bedding, and other contaminated objects and surfaces.
Change and wash underwear, nightwear and, if possible bed linen and towels, every day for a few days. A hot water wash, or the heat of an iron, will kill the eggs.
"Changing and washing bedding can help to remove threadworm eggs within the linen," agrees Dr Luke Powles, clinical director at Bupa UK. "However, be careful when removing the sheets as shaking bedding around may cause the eggs to land on other surfaces and spread infection."
Check if it's threadworms
They look like pieces of white thread. You might also see them around your child's bottom (anus). The worms usually come out at night while your child is sleeping.
Red flags to look out for:
Loss of appetite. Weight loss. Bedwetting (consider other diagnoses e.g. Type 1 diabetes) Skin infections around anus caused by scratching.
The worms die after about six weeks. Provided that you do not swallow any new eggs, no new worms will grow to replace them. So, if you continue the hygiene measures described above for six weeks, this should break the cycle of re-infection, and clear your gut of threadworms.
Chlorine dioxide gas inactivates pinworm eggs in a non-invasive and non-corrosive manner.
Worm eggs can survive for several days on external surfaces, but you can play your part in preventing a reinfestation by doing the following: Wash all the bedsheets and linen that family members have been sleeping on with hot water, to kill any remaining eggs.
Threadworms will often go unnoticed in a majority of people. However, some people will display threadworms symptoms of intense anal itching, particularly at night when the female worms come out to lay eggs. In some cases, threadworms may be visible on your bedsheets or clothes, or you may notice them in your stools.
One to five worms emerge from each egg. In 60-90 days, the young worms are mature. Try to find mature worms, young worms and worm eggs in your worm bin.
Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) are the only type of worm infection commonly seen in Australia, and they are widespread. Although people of any age can get them, children are the most susceptible.
Threadworms are spread mainly from contact with already infected people, poor hygiene and ineffective or lack of hand washing.
Threadworm lifecycle
They migrate out of an infected child's anus at night, laying their eggs on and around the anus (in girls the worms may also lay their eggs around the vagina and urethra). It's thought that the reason threadworms come out at night is because children are still and warm when they're in bed asleep.
You or your child can get threadworms by accidently swallowing worm eggs found on contaminated surfaces. This can happen by scratching the anal region and then touching your mouth or food.
If the skin is irritated a dilute mild antiseptic can help. Applying Vaseline to the skin after cleaning can help protect the skin and prevent the eggs sticking.
What to Expect: After taking the pinworm medicine, itching should stop in 5 to 7 days.
COMBANTRIN® is a highly effective treatment to rid the body of threadworm infections – just one dosage of COMBANTRIN® or COMBANTRIN®-1 kills adult worms within the body, either through paralysis with COMBANTRIN® or by preventing them from absorbing the glucose they need to survive – with COMBANTRIN®-1.
Mebendazole acts by stopping the threadworms from absorbing vital nutrients such as sugars while they are in the gut, which leads to the starvation and death of the worms within a few days. Piperazine acts by paralyzing the worms which are then passed out of the body in the stool.
Showering may help avoid possible re-contamination in bath water. Change underwear and bedding daily. This helps remove eggs.
Threadworm eggs can survive on surfaces for up to three weeks. Threadworm infections are common in young children because they often forget to wash their hands after going to the toilet.