Horsehair or gordian worms are long, slender worms related to nematodes. When they are immature, they are parasites of insects, arthropods and other invertebrate animals. They are harmless to people in all stages of their lives. They are considered beneficial as they control other insects.
The simplest way to get rid of horsehair worms is to routinely rinse the bathroom and places where water accumulates, like a bathtub, toilet, sink, and rain puddles in the garden. For infections, any mild stomach drug will work, and you might not even need that.
In summary, there is no evidence for a parasitation of humans by gordiid worms. Both the patient and his physician should be informed that horsehair worms do not pose a health risk for humans and the environment.
The bug that looks like a strand of hair is scientifically called Nematomorpha. The term refers to a phylum in the Nematoida clade and includes the worms people call horsehair worms, Gordian worms, or hairsnakes. There are more than 300 freshwater hairsnake species known to scientists.
The larvae are ingested by a cricket, cockroach, beetle, or other insect that can then find its way into your home. When that insect gets near water or even a wet area, the mature parasitic worm suddenly emerges from its body, hoping to continue its aquatic life.
Identification and Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates. The order Gordioidea takes its name from the mythical Gordian Knot. This is seen when several adult individuals tangle together to form a knot. Ecology: Adult horsehair worms occur in flowing and shallow standing waters.
Horsehair worms are harmless to vertebrates, because they can't parasitize people, livestock, pets, or birds. They also don't infect plants. If humans ingest the worms, they may encounter some mild discomfort of the intestinal tract, but infection never occurs.
Horsehair worms resemble hairs from horses actively moving in the water. A superstition once surrounding this species claimed that the worms in water troughs and puddles had miraculously come to life from the long, thin hairs of a horse's mane or tail that had fallen into the water.
What are those thread-like strands floating in the water? Commonly referred to as horsehair, or cabbage worms, the Gordian worm is often mistaken for a thread of horse hair.
Identification. Horsehair worms are slender (1/25 to 1/8 inch wide), very long (4 to 24 inches), and yellowish-tan to brownish-black in color. They often squirm and twist, knotting themselves into a loose, ball-like shape, resembling the so called "gordian knot," in freshwater pools.
The preparasitic worms are minute, and infect their host when they are accidentally ingested. They cannot penetrate hosts from the outside. Nematomorphs infect insects, including crickets, cockroaches, beetles, mantids, and grasshoppers, but also spiders and woodlice (sowbugs).
There are two medications that can be used to treat the infection and manage the symptoms. The treatment of choice is diethylcarbamazine (DEC), which kills the microfilariae and adult worms. Albendazole is sometimes used in patients who are not cured with multiple DEC treatments. It is thought to kill adult worms.
Ringworm of the scalp is caused by a common fungus. The fungus attacks the outer layer of skin on the scalp and the hair.
Hair infestations, including maggots in your hair, can occur in certain situations. Poor hygiene, living in unsanitary conditions, and exposure to infested areas can increase the risk of hair infestations. Symptoms of hair infestations include itching and irritation, crawling sensations, and visible insects or larvae.
Head lice and the human hair
The head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is an insect parasite, spending its entire life on human hair and feeding exclusively on blood, 4-5 times daily. Man is the only known host of this parasite.
Severe or persistent threadworm infections can cause: loss of appetite. weight loss. skin infection around the anus if bacteria enter any scratches caused by itching – wearing cotton gloves while sleeping may help prevent this.
With the exception of one marine genus, the adults of all species of hairworms live in freshwater, with 20 species reported from North America. Adults occur throughout the world north of Antarctica in many aquatic habitats ranging from watering troughs to the Great Lakes and from shallow streams to large rivers.
Threadworms, also called pinworms, are tiny parasites that grow to about 1cm in length and look like tiny pieces of white thread. They live in the intestines. Often people call a threadworm infection 'worms'. There are different types of worms that can infect people.
Tapeworms are flatworms that look a bit like ribbons. Their bodies are made up of segments, and each segment is about the size of a grain of rice.
horsehair worm, also called hairworm, or gordian worm, any of the approximately 250 to 300 species of the class Nematomorpha, or Gordiacea (phylum Aschelminthes). The young of these long, thin worms are parasitic in arthropods. The adults are free-living in the sea or in freshwater.
The body of the horsehair worms is extremely long and thread-like. Lengths of a foot or more are not common. The body diameter is about the width of a pencil lead. They are creamy to blackish in color, and frequently are twisted and coiled like a discared thread.
Horsehair worms are parasitic worms of the clade Nematoida alongside their sister taxa Nematoda, the roundworms. The most famous trait of certain species of horsehair worms is the ability to alter the behaviour of grasshoppers and crickets to seek water, causing the host to drown itself to complete its lifecycle.
Morphology: The rope worms look like a rope and slimy in nature and over a meter long. They were identified in five different developmental stages based on their morphology. Clinical Symptoms: The rope worm produces a slimy sticky substance with a distinct odour, twists like a corkscrew, and may obstruct the intestine.
This diet may include avoiding greasy, processed foods and eating natural, whole foods. Some parasite cleansing diets ask the person to avoid specific types of foods, such as gluten, dairy, or pork. Diets may also include the use of anti-inflammatory herbs and spices, such as garlic, turmeric, and ginger.