With such a staggering number of different species of roundworms, it is not surprising that the various kinds are often hard to distinguish from one another. (Imagine trying to conceptualize a million different animals that are sufficiently similar to part of the same phylum, yet different enough to be classified as a separate species.) Presumably, the similarities between species makes the process of cataloging all the different roundworms, a truly monumental undertaking, all the more challenging.

Given their diversity, roundworms have adapted to almost all ecosystems. You can find roundworms in a tropical ocean, a desert, the arctic, and everywhere in between, including high and low elevations. They are omnipresent in bodies of water, where their count often far outnumbers any other animal present. As a case in point, roundworms account for 90% of all life forms found on the ocean floor.

Roundworms tend to be small, with lengths under 2.5 millimeters, and this makes sense – if they were significantly larger, the astronomical number of worms would cover the entire world. Even the largest roundworms are customarily only about five centimeters long, although some of the parasitic species sometimes grow a little longer. The smallest species, in contrast, are microscopic. Although their appearances vary widely, roundworms often have distinctive features like rings or ridges around their bodies.

Although thousands of species of roundworms live in nature performing vital ecological roles, like the recycling of certain nutrients in ocean environments, many people think of roundworms as parasites, and rightfully so. Roundworms are responsible for causing all sorts of problems with pets, especially cats and dogs, whose small intestines serve as an inviting habitat to certain types of roundworms. Moreover, once a pet is infected, it can spread the worms to the other pets around it, chiefly because roundworms may produce millions of eggs a day that can be passed into the environment.

Humans can also be afflicted with roundworms, normally by way of ingesting infective eggs. If infected, the larvae can travel through a person’s tissues, like his or her liver or brain, which can cause inflammation or mechanical damage to organs. Roundworms can even cause blindness when their larvae migrate through a person’s eyes, a tragedy to which children are more susceptible than are adults.

Roundworms are all over the world in prodigious numbers. Some are parasitic, causing problems to their hosts, others play a key part in their habitat, helping maintain the health of the environment. Since a million different species of roundworms are believed to exist, this is hardly surprising.

Hookworms are parasitic nematodes that afflict a wide range of mammals. They live in the small intestine and can lead to such problems as a loss of iron and protein. The hookworms that affect dogs are known as Ancylostoma caninum or, in the parlance of the non-scientist, dog hookworms. In the larval stage of its life cycle, hookworms will penetrate a dog’s skin and move through the circulatory system into the digestive tract. Hookworms can also enter a through a dog’s mouth. The adult hookworms lay eggs in the intestine that are often embedded in the dog’s feces. The worms themselves are also commonly found in a dog’s feces, so examining your dog’s waste is a good way to determine if he or she has hookworms (or other parasitic worms). Diarrhea and anemia are common symptoms of dog hookworms.

And what exactly do hookworms look like? About as our reader described them. They do tend to be between 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch long, and their bodies tend to be curved in the shape of a hook (that is, the head is curved relative to the rest of the body). Some types of hook worms are straight, but generally dog hookworms have the curved body.

If your dog does have hookworms, they should be taken to the vet. Most non-prescription medications do not work against hookworm infections, and besides that, veterinarians will have access to a wide range of tools to help fight the infection.

Of course, it is preferable if your dog doesn’t get infected with hookworms at all. In order to reduce the risk, make sure that your dog gets screened for worms twice a year. If your dog is “high-risk” (like dogs that live in condensed urban areas, for example, or dogs that live in a home with multiple pets), he or she should get screened even more than twice a year. It is also crucial to make sure that your dog’s waste is cleaned up quickly. The last thing you want is for your dog to come into contact with feces, where hookworms and their eggs are often found, that has accumulated around the yard.

Unfortunately, these worms could be a number of different things, some of which aren’t even worms at all. Below we have listed a few possibilities:

To help describe the worms, the reader actually pointed to a previous article on All About Worms that describes small worms you might find in your bathroom, so let’s list these first, just in case these are in fact the creatures that our reader found. The first is the larvae of moth flies, which are often found around drains, including shower drains. Although often found in the area described by the reader, these larvae tend to be very small (less than a forth of an inch in length), and thus considerably smaller than the reader’s worms. Moth fly larvae also tend to be a dark grayish color, not red. The other “worms” covered in this article are carpet beetle larvae. These larvae can be found all over one’s house, including the shower. Again, though, carpet beetle larvae don’t precisely meet the description found in our reader’s question, as these larvae tend to be a brownish color with pale strips along their bodies.

While we’re on the topic of larvae, we should mention the midge fly larvae (often called “blood worms”), 2000 species of which can be found all over North America in aquatic settings. For the most part, people report seeing midge fly larvae in pools, but presumably they could be found in a shower, especially if there is stagnant water accumulated. Midge fly larvae are often red, but they don’t grow to over half an inch in length. So, alas, these larvae also don’t perfectly match the worms (or whatever the case may be) that our reader is confronting. However, given the prevalence of blood worms, they are definitely worth considering.

The reader should consider two additional possibilities: pinworms and horsehair worms. Pinworms afflict humans, causing irritation around the lower intestine and anus area, where they can be observed with the naked eye. During a shower, an infected person might be able to scrub a few of these pinworms off, which would explain why they are in the shower. Like all the other creatures described, though, pinworms are very small, usually under a half of an inch (they also tend to be white), but they are very thin. Horsehair worms, which infect certain types of insects and are found in water, are also extremely thin. However, these worms don’t match the reader’s description for the opposite reason that all the others don’t: they are often considerably longer than two inches; in fact, they can grow to be as long as a foot. Horsehair worms come in several different colors, ranging from an off-white to black.

Regrettably, all of the worms described above are imperfect matches to our reader’s question. On the other hand, all of the worms (and larvae) listed above seem to be the prime candidates, so we would encourage our reader to closely research each to see if one of them actually matches up with the worms that he is observing.

First, pinworms are very small. They are usually under a half an inch in length, and they are extremely thin. They basically look like short pieces of fine thread, or, if their body was rigid, we suppose they would probably look a lot like pins. Obviously, their name and appearance are not coincidental. Because they are so thin, they resemble horsehair worms, although they are much smaller, and they would seem to be proportionally shorter than horsehair worms as well (because horsehair worms can be very long despite their extremely thin body).

Even though they are small, pinworms can be seen by the naked eye, which is fortunate from the standpoint of diagnosing the problem. What is less fortunate is where you might observe pinworms: they are found in the lower area of the large intestine, right inside or possibly around the anus, where the females lay their eggs at night (this is what leads to increased irritation at night), as well as in the stool of afflicted people. They are a yellow-white color, which also makes them easier to see.

If you suspect that you or your child has pinworms, address the problem with haste. They are highly contagious, but eminently curable, so talk to your doctor if you think pinworms are afflicting you and/or your family.

(1) The first interesting and surprising fact about ringworm is that worms actually have nothing to do with ringworm. Ringworm is the name a skin infection that is caused by a fungus, not some type of bizarre worm that takes the shape of a ring. Ringworm can effect basically any part of your skin, from head to toe. (Literally: you can get ringworm on your scalp and on your feet, the latter of which goes by a common name that is the subject of our next fun fact.) However, even though ringworm has nothing to do with worms, people assume it does, and hence people will say “ringworms” (or “ring worms”), as if this term refers to several small creatures – in fact, the plural form of “ringworm” is not even a word according to at least one major dictionary (and this makes sense, considering that ringworm is not really the type of concept that can be meaningfully pluralized).

(2) Ringworm on the feet and toes is known as “athlete’s foot.” We’ve all heard of athlete’s foot, but some of us might not know that this is just another name for ringworm. The symptoms of athlete’s foot are like those of ringworm afflicting other parts of the body, namely, red, itchy, scaly skin.

(3) Ringworm may affect people of all ages, although children are particularly susceptible to it. So, remain vigilant when you take your kids to the gym or pool (make sure they wear some form of shoes at all times) and also try to prevent them from sharing towels, hairbrushes, and similar such items with their friends.

(4) As this last fact suggests, ringworm is contagious. Ringworm is passed from person to person by skin-to-skin contact, and it can also be spread by touching a contaminated item. This is why it is good to avoid sharing things like towels and hairbrushes – if one person who uses the item has ringworm, they could easily pass it another person who uses that same item.

(5) Even though ringworm is really annoying, it can actually be cured fairly easily, and a doctor’s visit isn’t even necessary unless symptoms get worse over time (and in which case certainly go to the doctor). If you have ringworm, keep your skin clean and dry, apply over-the-counter powders or creams, and wash your bedding daily. In a few weeks, you should be fine if you follow these steps.

That concludes our list of five interesting facts about ringworm. We hope you learned something!

Screwworm flies are best known for the damage they cause in the larvae stage of their life cycle (i.e., when the screwworm flies are still maggots). It is in this stage that screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of endothermic (colloquially called “warm-blooded”) animals. The infestation of a vertebrate animal that is alive is called “myiasis,” which is a serious problem for the livestock industry. However, as our reader’s question implies, myiasis can also affect humans, and indeed this occurs with relative frequency in rural and tropical regions of the world. The disturbing thing about screwworm maggots is that they attack living tissue, whereas other types of maggots tend to consume dead flesh. (Lots of us have probably seen those disturbing pictures of animal corpses being disintegrated by hordes of maggots. Buy hey, at least the animal is dead.)

Screwworm flies lay around 200-250 eggs in the exposed flesh (e.g., an open wound) of animals and humans. The larvae quickly hatch and begin to consume the flesh of the host animal. If the wound is disturbed (perhaps by getting stitches, e.g.), the larvae will burrow deeper into the flesh; in other words, the larvae will “screw” themselves into the host, and hence the name “screwworm flies.”

Fortunately, screwworm flies have been eradicated from some parts of the globe, including the United States, Mexico, and Central America, but they remain in other parts of the world, such as Africa and India. And this brings us back to our reader’s question: if you are infected by the larvae of a screwworm fly, how do you go about addressing the problem?

If a person or animal is confirmed to have a screwworm infestation (which can be recognized by a number of symptoms, such as a reddish-brown excretion leaking from the infected wound), the first step, not surprisingly, is to go to a medical professional so that he or she can remove the screwworm larvae with tools like tweezers or forceps. After all the screwworm larvae have been removed, a topical antibiotic is applied to the wound, and this is often accompanied by an antibiotic that is taken orally. Necrotic (i.e., dead) tissue that results from the infestation may need to be removed, which can be painful. The dressing of the wound will need to remain loose so that fluid can continue to drain from the wound. If the infestation is treated professionally and thoroughly, positive results are common, but unfortunately there is high rate of secondary infection if the initial infection is not rigorously addressed.

Of course, it is preferable to avoid infestation in the first place, and the best method to achieve this end is to make sure that any wound on an animal or person is dressed properly with an antibiotic ointment and a bandage. It is also essentially to examine wounds frequently so that any infestation symptom can be spotted early.

Let us begin by stating that it is very likely that our reader’s crickets are in fact being infected by horsehair worms. Infecting crickets, after all, is one of the central missions of horsehair worms – it’s what they do.

There are of course definitive ways to tell if the crickets are being afflicted by horsehair worms, and the main one is this: they will emerge from the insects they kill if the insects are near water, meaning you should be able to see horsehair worms emerge from whatever insects they are exploiting if they are near water. If the infected insect is not near water, the horsehair worm likely won’t emerge, but if you’re willing to dissect the insect after it dies, you’ll be able to see the worm buried inside it. Horsehair worms also exist independently of insects in water – like puddles on the sidewalk, where they are sometimes observed – and very moist soil, although the latter is somewhat rare.

If you are looking for horsehair worms, it’s helpful to know what they look like. To that end: as their name implies, horsehair worms look a lot like horse hairs, which is to say they are long and extremely thin. In fact, the horsehair worms earned their name because they were formerly believed to be the tail hair of horses that somehow morphed into living organisms. They are about as thin as the lead of a mechanical pencil and can grow to be as long as a foot, although rarely longer. They come in different colors, ranging from a creamy off-white to a blackish hue. Given the dimensions of their bodies, they are often found coiled and twisted up, rather like a discarded piece of dental floss. If you observe them when they are alive, you’ll notice them crawling or swimming about in a whip-like motion.

Unless you are raising insects for a particular purpose, horsehair worms are nothing to worry about. They don’t infect humans or pets, and they are safe to touch. (For example, if they were in your swimming pool and you didn’t want them there, you could just scoop them out with your hand, and this wouldn’t present any danger to you.) However, they do prey on insects that are commonly regarded as house pests, like cockroaches and beetles, so they are actually beneficial to have around if you are trying to limit the amount of insects in and around your house.

Since our reader is raising crickets for a reason (the specifics of which were not supplied to us), he obviously wants to keep horsehair worms from infecting his insects. Without knowing the particulars of our reader’s insect-raising operation, all we can offer are a couple of commonsensical solutions to the problem. First, make sure that your crickets aren’t being kept by any pool of water, or if for some reason they absolutely must be near some accumulation of water, make sure that there are no horsehair worms in it. They are small, but definitely visible to the naked eye.

Second, make sure that the infected crickets are removed from the other crickets, as a horsehair worm will enter another insect once it leaves one behind. Unless a huge number of crickets are infected and they can’t be removed from the group, this should solve the problem. If the infections are so widespread that most of the critics are infected, we regret to say that it may be necessary to start raising a second set of crickets that are definitively separated from the infected batch.

Symptoms of worm infections are similar regardless of the worm that has infected the cat or kitten. The only way to be 100% sure of the types of worms infecting your animal is to provide a stool sample to your local veterinarian for testing. The stool sample needs to be as fresh as possible and can be transported to the vet’s office in a bag. Some vet offices provide stool sample kits for pet owners to use.

Following is an overview of the three most common infections and how to treat them.

Tapeworms
Tapeworms live in a cat’s digestive tract absorbing much needed nutrients from the body. They infect an animal through infected fleas, uncooked meat or when a cat eats other animals such as rodents. Tapeworm eggs are eliminated through an infected cat’s stool.

Evidence of the worm’s presence can be seen in stool or around a cat’s rear end where eggs and worm segments are often found. In severe infections, evidence of the worm’s presence can be seen in vomit.

Treatment is simple. A dewormer (usually in pill form) is the common form of prescribed treatment. Veterinarians may also suggest some type of flea control as fleas are a common source of infection.

Roundworms
There are several types of roundworms. However, they have similar symptoms and the same treatment options. Roundworms are very common in kittens as they can be passed on through the mother’s milk.

Symptoms of roundworm infection are essentially the same as the symptoms of tapeworm infection. Again, this is why stool testing to confirm the type of worm infecting your cat or kitten is critical to ensuring proper diagnosis and treatment.

There are additional symptoms in kittens: “vomiting, diarrhea, dull coats, a pot belly on a thin body, and weakness” are all symptoms of roundworm infection. A dewormer treats the condition although it may have to be repeated to be effective.

Hookworms
The least common of kitten worm infections, hookworms are generally present in hot, humid climates. They infect kittens through their mother’s milk, through prey and through rotten meat.

Hookworms have rather severe effects on their hosts including anemia, diarrhea and weight loss. A rash between the toes and dark black stools or stools that are dark red may also be present. Hookworm infections are very serious and must be treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. While the infection may not be very common, it is very deadly if not treated.

Kittens and cats with hookworms may have to stay a day or two at a veterinary clinic for the initial treatment process. All areas used by the kitten will need to be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly and follow-up vet visits will most likely be required. If a pet owner lives in an area that has hookworms, it is a good idea to have pets tested for the parasite every few months.

Occasionally the tongue worm can parasitise, but this is rare. Mature female tongue worm can reach up to six inches in length and 0.4 inches wide. Males are 0.8-1.6 in long and 3-4 mm wide. The mouth is located at the anterior end of the worm, and is has a set of hooks. These hooks make it possible for the parasite to attach to the tissues of the host. Many species of tongue worms have superficial ringlike markings. This gives them the appearance of being segmented.

Tongue worms have digestive and reproductive organs. These are the parasite’s only internal body structures. They also have certain glands. They do not have circulatory, respiratory, and excretory organs. According to Science.Jrank.org, the typical life cycle of tongue worms:

is that of Porocephalus crotali, whose adult stage lives and reproduces in the lungs of the rattlesnake, and whose larval stage is found in the muskrat and other hosts, which constitute the rattlesnake’s food. Following copulation, the female tongue worm releases her eggs into the host’s lungs. The eggs leave the host’s body in its respiratory secretions, and might be accidentally ingested by the intermediate host. In the digestive tract of the intermediate host, the eggs hatch to produce four-legged larvae, which superficially resemble the immature stage of a mite. The larva penetrates the wall of the host’s digestive tract, migrates to another tissue such as the liver, and encysts.

Once the intermediate host is eaten by another animal, the tongue worm is transferred to the new hosts digestive tract. Once it is in the digestive tract, it will emerge from the cyst and migrate up the new host’s esophagus and into its lungs. Once in the lungs of the new host, the tongue worm will mature.

Two other common genera of tongue worms are Armillifer and Linguatula. The genera have different final and intermediate hosts, but they have a similar life cycle. According to information obtained from Science.Jrank.org, zoologists consider linguatulids to be closely related to the arthropoda, and in some classifications the tongue worms are included in that phylum.

Tongue Worm Treatment

Once your pet or other animal has been diagnosed with tongue worms, your veterinarian will start him on a round of antihelminthic drugs. Antihelminthic drugs paralyze or destroy the worms, but do not completely eliminate the parasites from the animal’s body. Endoscopic surgery may be required as a follow up in order to locate the tongue worms inside the animal’s body and manually/mechanically remove them.

In some cases the infection can be severe, so tongue worm cannot be treated. In these cases, the veterinarian will recommend euthanizing the infected animal in order to prevent the spread of infection to other animals and humans.

Roundworms look like spaghetti and tapeworm segments look like little grains of rice. Cat worms can be found in your cat’s food, buried in your cat’s fur, around his anus, and around his paws (from scratching). Cat worms can be found in your pet’s ears as well. Ringworm isn’t a worm, it’s a skin fungus. The fungus is shaped like a worm, but it forms a ring. To identify ringworm, all you have to do is look for “ring” shape on your cat’s skin.

Of all the different types of parasitic worms, tapeworms are the easiest to transmit because they are transmitted to cats though fleas. If your cat has fleas, he cannot transmit tapeworm to his owner, but he can easily transmit the fleas that carry the tapeworm.

If left untreated, worms in cats can hinder normal body functioning, while others, such as heartworm, can be fatal. Ringworm lives in dead skin, while hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and whipworms, live in the cat’s intestines. Also known as dermatophytosis, ringworm is an infection in the dead layer of the skin, hair, and nails. The fungus uses dead tissue, called keratin, in the skin as a source of nutrition. Hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and whipworms live in the cat’s intestines and cause:

• Change in appetite
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Vomiting
• Inability to exercise
• Distended abdomen, especially in kittens
• Dull coat

Hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and whipworms can be treated are not fatal if treated early, another type of worm called “heartworm” can cause sudden, serious, and fatal disease in the cat. Even a small number of heartworms can be serious. Symptoms of heartworm include:

• Respiratory stress (difficulty breathing or rapid shallow breathing)
• Gagging
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss

To learn more about heartworm, prevention, and treatment, visit the American Heartworm Society at www.heartwormsociety.org.

To prevent cat worms, have your cat screened for worms twice per year. High-risk cats typically live in condensed urban areas and they usually live in a home with more than one pet. Outdoor cats are high-risk as well. High-risk cats should be screened more than once per year. It’s also a good idea to keep your cat clean and well groomed. You should also dispose of cat feces immediately. Never leave it in piles in the litter box. Whipworm and roundworm eggs can remain infectious for years, and hookworm larvae can multiply quickly in dirty litter boxes.

If you think your cat has been exposed to worms, please contact your vet immediately.
Caring for a cat with worms should be done under the care of a vet. Your vet will have access to a number of effective preventatives against the most aggressive types of parasites such as roundworm, whipworm, hookworm, and heartworm. Your vet will also have access to a number of medications approved for treating worms.