“This was in my toilet, not seen until after I went to the bathroom”, writes Ginger in her submission regarding the dark green worm pictured below. “I’m concerned whether it’s a human worm or parasite? Or was it lurking in the toilet unnoticed before I used the toilet?” Now, there are a plethora of worms and worm-like organisms that can come up through people’s toilets. The reason for this is usually because there is a leak somewhere underground in the piping through which the worms enter. Ginger will be able to notice that there is a leak if she notices one of many of the following signs: discolored water, foul-smelling or -tasting water, and inconsistencies in water pressure and temperature.

When it comes to the worm itself, we think this is a flatworm. We based this on the shape of the worm’s body: it looks as if it has twisted around, which it could only do if its body was not tubular like an earthworm’s. Likewise, the coloration and sliminess also point to this conclusion. Flatworms are not parasites, so it is more likely that it was lurking in the toilet before she used it. Alternatively, it could have crawled into the toilet, though we do not see reason for this unless it was hunting a bug that in the toilet (like a drain fly larva). For context, flatworms are predatory worms that feed on insects, worms, snails, and other flatworms. Some species secrete viscous fluids which can paralyze and even melt their prey. It will not do the same to a human, or any animal that is significantly bigger than them, but it can nonetheless cause an allergic reaction which can result in irritation of the skin, pain, or rashes.

Now, if Ginger has reasons other than finding the flatworm in her toilet to believe that this worm came from a person and is potentially a parasite, then she should disregard what wrote above and instead seek the opinion of a medical parasitologist. To find a medical parasitologist or other health care provider who can actually help, Ginger 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 her 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)”.

When she does consult a physician, we recommend showing them the same photos and giving them as much context as possible.

In conclusion, we think that the dark green worm that Ginger found is a flatworm, though we cannot say that with 100% certainty given her concerns about parasites. If she decides to consult a physician and they conclude that it is not a parasite or anything harmful, then we would say it probably is a flatworm. In any case, we recommend avoiding physician contact, scooping the worm onto a dustpan, and moving the worm outside. We hope this helps, and we wish Ginger the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Slimy Dark Green Worm in Toilet is a Flatworm

Description

"This was in my toilet, not seen until after I went to the bathroom", writes Ginger in her submission regarding the dark green worm pictured below. "I’m concerned whether it’s a human worm or parasite? Or was it lurking in the toilet unnoticed before I used the toilet?" Now, there are a plethora of worms and worm-like organisms that can come up through people's toilets. The reason for this is usually because there is a leak somewhere underground in the piping through which the worms enter. Ginger will be able to notice that there is a leak if she notices one of many of the following signs: discolored water, foul-smelling or -tasting water, and inconsistencies in water pressure and temperature.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton