One of our readers reached out to us about some of his health concerns that are potentially worm-related. We encourage him to visit a travel infectious disease doctor to address these concerns. Continue reading [...]…

If the infection is allowed to progress, worms can lead to weight loss, anemia, vomiting, and in some cases, even death. Fortunately early worm detection can be as easy as a quick trip to the vet or a two-minute exam that you can perform on your own at home. Continue reading [...]…

We received a very distressing email from a reader recently who is suffering from some sort of parasitic infection, or what is believed to be a parasitic infection. The parasite is complicated. It is decribed as white with a "hard ribbed outer shell," and it can curl up or lie flat. It is under the skin of the reader, but it can break through, and it causes a lot of itching and discomfort. "Tangles of very small worms" are also somehow related to the parasite's life cycle, but it is not clear how. (Are the thin, small worms somehow part of the parasite or are they a separate parasite? Or perhaps they are they actually the parasite itself at some stage in its life cycle?) While we are by no means qualified to render a diagnosis (and so we aren't), our reader's description brings to mind that of Morgellons disease, a very strange ailment that the medical community regards as a "delusional infestation," even though the afflicted swear the disease is physical an…

Pin worms or “pinworms” belong to the family Oxyuridae, order Oxyuroidea, and the phylum Nematoda. The pin worm is classified as Enterobius vermicularis. Threadworms are also classified as Enterobius vermicularis. Continue reading [...]…

"I found this thing in the bathroom!" writes Sade about the little black bug in the picture below. "Horrifying! It seemed to have fallen off somewhere - either from the toilet or the toilet paper hanging beside the toilet as I didn’t see it when I first opened the toilet, then noticed something plopped into the water a second after. I hope it didn’t come from me!" Upon zooming in on the photo, the organism looks to have legs, and a translucent body. That said, the photo is taken in quite poor lighting, and the resolution is not the best, so we will say that any identifications we make are educated guesses, and are not 100% certain. Continue reading [...]…

The filarial worm larvae transmit the disease through infected mosquitoes. The mosquito bites an infected individual and then it bites an uninfected individual. Once inside the body, the larvae make their way to a particular part of the body and they mature into adult worms. Continue reading [...]…

"This one worm with the hook on it came out of his nose, the other one that had 2 in it came out of a sore in my leg," this reader writes to us. She wonders if we can tell her what these worms are. Continue reading [...]…

Worms whose color changes depending on their surroundings have been discovered all over the home of this woman in Fresno, CA. She asks if we can identify the worms as she is "freaking OUT." Continue reading [...]…

"Can you please help identify this worm?" asks Ashley about the tiny, black worm-like creature pictured below (which is barely visible on the photo). "The pest control came and said that in 30 years he’s never seen this kind of worm. They are smaller than an eyelash. Thank you so much!" Firstly, we want to note to our other readers that, despite the photo being quite of poor resolution and not showing the worm clearly, Ashley did send in an excellent video (linked below) of the worm moving about. This brings us to our second point: based on the video, we would venture a guess and say that this might be a flea larva. Continue reading [...]…

"Where can I get help?" is the first thing this woman writes in her submission, posing the question that many face when they are concerned about parasite-related health concerns. This reader in particular is concerned about a "hookworm" that "came out of [her] dog" which has spread to her and her family members. Continue reading [...]…

Hook worms are intestinal parasites that are quite common in cats and dogs, especially kittens and puppies. They can also infect humans. Hook worms (also written as “hookworms”) can be found throughout North America, but some types of hook worm are more likely to be found in tropical and semitropical regions. There are several types of hook worm including: A. caninum (canine hook worm), A. braziliense (canine and feline hookworm), U. stenocephala (Northern canine hook worm), and A. tubaeforme (feline hook worm). Continue reading [...]…

We received a rather heart-breakingly desperate letter from a mother who is worried about herself and her 2-year-old daughter. They live in Walker County, AL and she is convinced that they are both infested by worms or another parasite. The symptoms she lists include: Continue reading [...]…

A woman in Florida states that she is infested with parasites (as seen in the images below), and that she is desperate to get them identified. The first image displays a black worm, with an arrow-shaped head and a thinner, red tail, and the second image displays a long, semi-transparent worm. Continue reading [...]…

We received a very interesting question recently about, essentially, parasitic worms that infect other worms. Most of us have heard of parasitic worms that infect other hosts, including humans, but are there parasitic worms that take worms themselves as their host? More broadly, the reader was wondering if there is any "example of a parasitic animal whose host is a worm," so in addition to looking for parasitic worms that infect worms, we are also looking for any sort of parasite that takes a worm as a host. Continue reading [...]…

Natural cures for dog worms don’t actually exist, but preventative measures do. Before you can treat or prevent dog worms effectively, you should become familiar with the different types of dog worms and how dogs get them. The different types of dog worms include tapeworms, roundworm, whipworm, and heartworm. Continue reading [...]…

"Can you identify this worm found in my toilet bowl after peeing?" asks this reader in her submission regarding the red, semi-transparent worm pictured below. "Doctor I visited was very uncertain but suspected it was a schistosoma." Continue reading [...]…

"This one centimeter-long worm-like creature was found in my mother's tub today and on a few previous occasions", says this reader about the segmented, green-gray creature in the photograph below. Our reader's mother is concerned that these are pinworms, and our reader wonders if we can verify whether or not these are millipedes, centipedes or indeed pinworms. Continue reading [...]…

Worms in dogs are commonly found in the intestinal tract and sometimes in the heart. Professional treatment and owner prevention are critical to the well-being of your canine companion. Continue reading [...]…

Heart worms affect dogs, cats, coyotes, wolves, and other wild animals. The heart worm was first found in dogs over a century ago. Heart worm disease is often found within 150 miles the gulf and Atlantic coasts. Continue reading [...]…

Hook worms can not only invade your family pet, but can also infect people. Hook worms infect both pets and people in the same way, by penetrating the skin. Continue reading [...]…