“Is this a tapeworm?” asks Tammy in her submission regarding the clear, whitish worm-like critters pictured below. “I’m sure it must be. But the strange thing is I found it coiled up, I thought it was just some type of elastic on the side table in the bedroom! How would it get there? I freaked out that I touched it, but realized it was strange if elastic. I put it in a baggie with some eye drops to keep it moist. I’m freaking out because I don’t understand where it came from to end up on a table! I have no pets in this room. I thought worms came out in poop! And rarely seen as a whole worm. Please help me with this ASAP. I’d really appreciate.”

To start with, we cannot answer Tammy’s first question. This is because we are not able to identify any organism that negatively affects the health of humans or pets, as such an organism constitutes a medical situation. Only a medical professional is qualified and legally able to identify such organisms, which includes tapeworms (as they are intestinal parasites). If Tammy genuinely thinks these are tapeworms, and/or she starts developing any symptoms as a result of having found this worm, we advise that she consult a medical parasitologist (a physician who specializes in identifying and treating parasitic infections).

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, if we assume this is not a worm, then our best possible guess is that these are horsehair worms, though we will admit that we are not confident about this conclusion (especially given that one of the worm-like objects in the photo is lumpy, which horsehair worms are not). Horsehair worms are also parasites, but they do not take humans or any mammals as hosts, only insects. They are only free-roaming once they are fully-matured and have burst forth from an insect. So, it could be that a horsehair worm-infested insect was inside Tammy’s home and the horsehair worm got free. However, they typically only burst free when the insect is near a body of water, so it would be odd for them to come out on a side table, which is mainly why we are not convinced of this identification. If anything, we suggest that Tammy brings the baggie of worms to her local county extension office to have them identified by someone in person: they might have a better chance.

In conclusion, we are not sure what kind of organisms Tammy found on her side table. We are not able to confirm or deny if they are tapeworms – only a medical professional would be able to do that (we specifically recommend consulting a medical parasitologist about it as they are best equipped to answer this question). If this turns out not to be a tapeworm, then we still cannot say for certain what it is, though given their shape, they do look somewhat like horsehair worms. We hope this helps, and we wish Tammy the very best.

Summary

Article Name

Coiled Up Worm Could be Horsehair Worm

Description

"Is this a tapeworm?" asks Tammy in her submission regarding the clear, whitish worm-like critters pictured below. "I’m sure it must be. But the strange thing is I found it coiled up, I thought it was just some type of elastic on the side table in the bedroom! How would it get there? I freaked out that I touched it, but realized it was strange if elastic. I put it in a baggie with some eye drops to keep it moist. I’m freaking out because I don't understand where it came from to end up on a table! I have no pets in this room. I thought worms came out in poop! And rarely seen as a whole worm. Please help me with this ASAP. I’d really appreciate."

Author

Worm Researcher Anton