“Tonight I went to use the bathroom to urinate but when I looked down I noticed a living worm there”, writes Alberto in his submission regarding the dark, long, worm-like creature pictured below. “My first thought was that the worm came from me, and that it was a parasite (I did use the bathroom in the morning, but I didn’t use the bathroom until the night when I saw the worm), but when I started researching in Google it didn’t seem like the worm looked like the typical parasite that infects humans. Those seem to be white or cream, while this worm looks black with a bit of red and some transparent parts when it stretches. Also I didn’t have any symptoms the days before, like itching, however I did have some light digestive looseness the day before, but I think I’m pretty sure it was something I ate the same day, but I’m not sure though. I did take a dewormer just in case, but I would like to be sure if that worm could be a parasite that came from me. I’d leave a video and some other pics of the worm, thank you very much! I live in Monterrey, Mexico.”

“What I have found, I have discovered in every grocery store, in every food product”, writes Matthew in his submission, which does not include any photographs. In such instances we do want to make clear to our readers that any identifications we make will inherently be less accurate, as it is only based on what our reader has told us. “I asked a local butcher, and his response was: ‘What can we do?’. What I am talking about are tiny C-shaped nematodes about 1 mm wide and 2-3 mm long. They are clearish white, and move slowly. But what is interesting is that inside each little “C” is a lint-like worm that is a zig-zag shape, and capable of floating. The lint worms are incredibly thin, and seem to burrow into pieces of hair, clothing fibers, etc. And they gather and wind around each other as well as burrowing into our skin. But they grow. Often leaving worm-trails in the beard skin of men. So, my question is: How is no one noticing these things? Because they are everywhere. I’ve found them in tree leaves, and grass, but mostly just floating through the air. I am positive that they are what’s behind Morgellons. Except it is not rare. They are everywhere and in everything!”

“I am from Ohio and have seen this near the dog’s bowl am not sure if it is a worm or just mucus”, writes Santos regarding the white, worm-like object pictured below. “This is the only one I have seen. Thanks.” We are with Santos on this one: we are not sure if this is a worm either. It has qualities that remind of us worm-like organisms we have seen before, including a darker, circular bit that looks like a head, somewhere around the middle of the body. Obviously, that’s not where heads go on an animal, so this had us thinking this might be two worms rather than one, if it is a worm at all. In any case, it definitely looks suspicious for mucus, so we understand why Santos is concerned.

“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.”

While we don’t usually post about parasites that infect humans, we are posting about this, including a link, so that people can point to this story as proof that yes, people have parasitic ‘worms’ of all sorts infecting them. Medical editor Melissa Davey wrote an “article on a live worm that was found inside a woman’s brain“. The worm was a roundworm, one of Earth’s most simple creatures. There are many species of parasitic roundworms that can be contracted in various ways, but this particular discovery was a first. The species of roundworm they found inside the woman’s brain was a species normally found in pythons, not humans.

“PLEASE HELP!” exclaims Lisa in her submission regarding the grayish brown worm-like critter crawling out of the doughnut pictured below. “I got doughnuts yesterday morning and we ate a lot yesterday. And since we got a dozen I had some left over this morning. The doughnut was tightly sealed in wrap and this morning we saw the attached. You can see it’s coming out of the doughnut and I’m worried me and my kids ate the eggs (or something) from this huge worm. It doesn’t look like a maggot. Please help us. Is this a parasite? I already reported this to the health department but I really am concerned. Thank you so much. There is also an attachment video.”

“Can a human get worm borers from palm trees?” asks Chris in his submission. “I am a tree trimmer and want to know if the borers can get in a human?” Chris asks some good questions here, and the short answers to his question are ‘no’ and ‘yes’: we will explain why exactly that’s the case. To start with, we have to address that Chris did not send in any photos, and as there are multiple types of palm borers, we do not know exactly which species Chris is referring to. For example, there is the palm borer moth caterpillar (Paysandisia archon), but there is also the palm borer beetle larva (Dinapate wrightii), both of which resemble worms. Fortunately, it does not really matter in this case, given Chris’ question, as the answer will be the same across the board for every palm borer species.

“What is this little guy?” asks Valerie in her submission regarding the black, worm-like critter pictured below. “About 4-inches long, needle thin, in the muddy bank of a river in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.” To start with, we want to thank Valerie for the excellent photo and video she sent in. The video captures the sporadic, twisty movements of the worm, and the picture gives us a good sense of scale, showing us how long this worm really is. Based on this information, as well as the context Valerie provided, we think that she found a horsehair worm.

“Does this look like the unknown fibers/worms everyone is dealing with that sting, create slots of dust, and move through fabrics?” asks Teddy in his submission regarding the thin, translucent object pictured below. “Or are these dead pinworms?” To start with, we have to say that we are aware of the “unknown fibers” or worms that “everyone” seems to be finding, and after having a quick look on the web, we are not encountering stories about worms like the one Teddy found. That said, we have gotten submissions in the past about worms that resemble this one, and in every case we have maintained that we do not know what it could possibly be. On top of that, just like in Teddy’s case, a lot of our readers who have asked about worms resembling this one have quoted concerns about parasites, which is the main reason we have not identified the organisms that look like this.

“Can tapeworms live on walls?” is all Robin asks in her submission regarding the yellow object in the photo. To begin with, we have to point out that we are not qualified or legally able to identify tapeworms, because they are parasites. Only a medical professional is legally able to identify parasites, or any other organism that directly affect the health of people or pets, because that identification is tantamount to a diagnosis: it dictates what types of treatments and/or medications a human/animal might need as a result of finding that parasite. Now, we realize that Robin did not ask us to identify a tapeworm: she only asks if they can live on walls. But the photo is somewhat confusing, as it does not seem to show a tapeworm, or any organism for that matter, so we do not know its purpose.

“Can you please identify what type of worm creature/larvae this is?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the long, stringy, worm-like organism pictured below. “I live in Daytona Beach, Florida. I also live in the suburbs and have a well, not local city water. I had washed some towels in baking soda & vinegar, as my husband had changed the tub faucet earlier that day. When I went to take the towels out of the washing machine, this creature was sitting on top of the inside top part of the washing machine. I believe it could be a whipworm, but am having a difficult time 100% confirming this. If you could please help identify this, we would appreciate it. Thank you! One paranoid wife.”

“I’m in need of your assistance with the identification of the suspected worm in the short, attached video,” writes Helena in her submission regarding the super thin, black, worm-like creature pictured below. “More information will gladly be provided if needed, and upon your request. Your help is greatly appreciated! As the video shows, it was on me. I’m not suggesting it came from me. When I removed it, the worm had fallen to the floor and I couldn’t locate it to take any other photo or video of it. I’d just never seen anything like it and thought you might be able to identify it as such. If so I’d greatly appreciate your knowledge of what type of worm it could be or who might know, if not yourselves.”

“I have looked through your site and can’t find exactly what I’m having a problem with”, writes this reader regarding the tiny critter pictured below. “They look like worm-type things, but they are as small as a needle tip, probably one millimeter long, and they seem to appear out of nowhere. They don’t seem to move while I watch them, and one minute out of nowhere they appear on my body. I’ll include pictures for you below.” Right off the bat, we will have to point out that, because of how tiny the worm is, and how blurry the photo becomes when we try to zoom in on it, we will not be able to provide an identification that is 100% certain or accurate. We understand that, given the minuscule size of the worms, it would have been extremely difficult to photograph these creatures.

“This came out of my nose”, writes this reader regarding the pink matter pictured below. “What is it? I am in Whittier, CA.” More context than this is not provided, but in any case, we will not be able to identify this worm, given the nature in which it was found. Since it came from our reader’s body, it is possible that this is a medical situation. Since we are not medical professionals, we are neither qualified nor legally able to identify organisms that potentially could be negatively affecting a human’s health. That said, what we can do is point our reader in the direction of some resources she can use to get a medical professional’s opinion.

“I have the same worm in my house as this woman does in this article”, writes this reader in her submission. We do not know which article she is referring to, but we will nonetheless relay the rest of her story: “It can eat through walls, porcelain, wood, linoleum, tile, glass, and humans. My house is infested. My family and pets are all sick. And my research says that, based on our symptoms, it is some sort of fluke worm. But I can’t get any tests to come back positive for any type of worm, which I guess is normal for this type. They basically have to be tested while they’re still alive, which is absolutely impossible. I was wondering what type of specialist you were referring to in the article to get them out of the house. Because I can’t find anyone that deals with parasites. Not to mention the fact that you only get treated like you’re crazy.”

“I keep finding what looks to be small worms,” writes this reader in her submission regarding an array of creatures. “But, while walking through my apartment after a VERY thorough cleaning, I felt like I had stepped on a piece of glass. I couldn’t find anything until I swept the area (after already mopping it three times), and what I saw in my dustpan threw me into a major panic attack. I used my Google Lens to see if I could figure out what I was looking at. Every article I could find said it was hammerhead flatworms that I was looking at. The apartments I live in have had a BAD infestation with bed bugs, and I have recently been cleaning up dead bugs and black spots that keep appearing everywhere around my apartment. I have not seen a live one, although I have woken up with bites.”

“What type of worm/parasite is this?” is all this reader writes in her submission regarding the white and red organism pictured below. From the looks of it, if this were a worm, it would be a pretty mangled one. It has lost the uniform, long shape that a worm possesses, and looks like a blob of tissue. For that reason, as well as due to the lack of context, we will have to say that the identity of this worm is inconclusive. We would not even be able to guess based on the coloration, as it is uncertain if the red color was actually a part of the worm originally, or if it is blood from its mangled body.

“I have an infestation in my condominiums in Henderson, Nevada”, writes Jennifer in her submission regarding the mass of black, worm-like critters pictured below. “They are parasites and live in the walls, under sinks, even the toilet tank. I’ve been spraying and cleaning everything, and it keeps it bearable, but never gone. I recently found a spider in my front door area, and I think there is a nest of some sort right outside of my house. Please help me if you can.” Right off the bat, we have to say that we will only provide suggestions for the creatures’ identities under the assumption that they are not parasites.

“I saw some of these worms in my cat’s fur, near his butt, but I’m not sure if it’s a parasite or just something from my garden”, writes Th?o in their submission regarding the black, worm-like organism pictured below. “It’s very small, like 5mm long, and very lithe. It’s a pinkish color (it looks darker in the picture). It also died (or dried out) soon after I found it, about 10-15 minutes later. We live in south east Asia, where there’s a tropical climate. Thank you for helping me.” To start with, we have to say that, whatever suggestions we make as to the worm’s identity, Th?o should take them with a grain of salt. The reason for this is that, since this worm was found on Th?o’s cat, it is possible that this is a medical situation.

“Can you help tell us what this is?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the thin, black worms pictured below. “And if it is common, or coming from one of us? And any possible ways of stopping worms in the toilet? My mum bleaches frequently and is super clean.” Despite our reader’s short submission, there are a lot of questions to be answered here. Firstly, we can definitely help our reader in identifying the worm-like creature pictured below. We think this is possibly a horsehair worm. These worms are somewhat common, though they are more common in nature than in people’s homes. They would not be coming from our reader or her mother, despite being parasites.