Pinworms Life Cycle

Pinworms Life Cycle
••• jarun011/iStock/GettyImages

Pinworms are parasitic roundworms with a four- to eight-week life cycle. They have the appearance of a thin, white thread that is less than half an inch in length, and may be seen around the anus of infected people or in their fecal matter.

Eggs

The adult female pinworm travels to the rectum to lay her eggs. She moves at night, depositing her eggs around the rim of the anus, and then she dies.

Human Host

The human host scratches the anus; itching is triggered by the movement of the female and the presence of her eggs. The eggs are caught under fingernails, transferred to skin, linens and objects in the home, and eventually the eggs may be carried to the mouth.

Transmission

Pinworm eggs take six hours to mature. When the eggs are swallowed, they hatch in the digestive tract of a human (animals are not considered a source of infection); when they hatch on the surface of the skin, the larvae make their way into the nearest orifice (the vagina or the anus).

Immature Worms

Pinworms begin their lives in the small intestine. The larvae migrate to the large intestine and attach to the intestinal wall.

Adult Worms

Adult worms live in the large intestine or colon. It is suspected that they consume human fecal matter as a source of food.

Reproduction

Pinworms reproduce through sexual contact; pregnant females can lay 10,000 to 15,000 eggs. The time from initial ingestion of eggs to the first incidence of adult egg-laying takes about a month.

Related Articles

How Do Roundworms Move?
Life Cycle of a Phylum Platyhelminthes
Mites That Fly & Bite
Examples of Nematodes
What Flying Insects Live in Your Hair, Skin & Home?
Types of Bacteria on the Tongue
Labeled Parts of a Tapeworm
How to Make a Working Heart Model
Facts About the Iris in Your Eye
What Types of Fleas Live in Florida?
What Are Three Primary Purposes of Mitosis?
The Anatomy of the Hydra
How to Identify Spiders in Connecticut
Characteristics of Salmonella Bacteria
Facts About the Spleen
How Does an Earthworm Sense Light?
What Is a White Tick?
The Microorganisms Found in Sewage
Blood Sucking Insects & Bugs

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!