“I found this in my bathroom while I was brushing my teeth”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the tiny, pinkish, worm-like creature pictured below. “I had just gotten out of the shower and had a towel wrapped around my hair. While I was brushing my teeth over the sink this thing fell from somewhere, and I almost threw up at the thought of it coming from my tooth brush. Please help so I can get peace of mind or go to a doctor.” Firstly, we want to express our sympathies for our reader, as finding a worm when brushing your teeth cannot be a pleasant experience. Secondly, we do suggest that our reader see a doctor.

We cannot confirm or deny if this is a medical situation, as we are not medical professionals. But because our reader has alluded to the possibility that the worm came from her, and has expressed concerns for her health, we have to acknowledge the possibility that this is a medical situation. Regardless, we cannot identify the worm for the same reason: we are not medical professionals. Identifying organisms that could negatively affect a human’s health is tantamount to diagnosing the issue, which only a medical professional is qualified and legally able to do. We recommend that our reader consult a medical parasitologist, as they specialize in diagnosing and treating ailments caused by organisms. To find a medical parasitologist or other health care provider who can actually help, our reader can do one or more of the following:

– Visit our parasite care resources page here: https://www.allaboutworms.com/get-medical-attention-and-tests-for-parasites

– Search for a medical parasitologist in their area using this directory of medical parasitology consultants: https://www.astmh.org/for-astmh-members/clinical-consultants-directory.

– Search for a local parasitologist by doing a Google search for “medical parasitologist (name of the closest big city)” or “tropical medicine specialist (name of the closest big city)”.

Now, we do not want to send our reader into a panic either. It is possible that this creature is not a harmful creature and is not a parasite either. And it is also possible that it did not come from her toothbrush. It could have been in the towel she had wrapped around her hair. It could have fallen down from the cupboard above the sink (if she has one). Or maybe it did not fall down from anywhere at all! Maybe it came up through the drain. In any case, we recommend that our reader clean her bathroom and drains, and that she do so regularly, as it helps prevent invasions from all sorts of critters.

In conclusion, we are not able to identify the creature our reader found, due to her medical concerns. We recommend she consult a medical professional, and specifically that she seek out a medical parasitologist. We hope this helps, and we wish our reader the very best!