Pinworms, also known as pin worms, or just pin worm, are a tiny parasitic worm which lives in the human intestinal tract. Pin worm infections are thought to infect as many as 400million people worldwide, and 40million in the United States alone. Pin worms often affect children.

Recently, a reader wrote to us with one of the simplest questions we’ve ever received: what do pinworms (sometimes spelled “pin worms” – incorrectly) look like? To call this question simple is not to call it bad or insignificant – it’s important to know what pinworms look like if you suspect that you (or your child) have pinworms (they only afflict people), and in any case, we rather enjoy an easy question. Since the reader was exclusively interested in the appearance of pinworms, we’ll limit our remarks to this topic. If you would like to know more about these bothersome creatures in general, we encourage you to check out one of our previous articles about pinworms.

Another type of worm that could possibly end up on the skin, although it cannot survive there, is the pinworm. Pinworm is easy to contract through infected food and water. Pinworms can be easily passed from an infected person to a non-infected person through bathroom stalls and dirty hands.

Although pinworm is more common in school-age children, adults and teens are not immune. Any individual may come in contact with pinworm after drinking water or eating food contaminated with pinworm eggs.

If left untreated, worms in the human body can cause everything from anemia to rashes to weakness. And according to CNN Health, an adult tapeworm can live up to 20 years and grow up to 50 feet long.

Because pinworms can be easily spotted, they are easy to diagnose. The adult pinworm is small, white, and threadlike. Because they are most active at night, this is the best time to look for them.

It is common for children to become reinfected several months or so after being treated for pin worms. If this happens, call your doctor to get started on another round of treatment immediately.

The most common pinworm symptom is itching around the anus. The itching becomes more intense at night when the female pinworm lays her eggs on the skin of infected person.

Pin worm is the most prevalent parasite infection in the United States and Europe today. While pin worm is most commonly found in kids, it can occur in adults as well.

The pin worm belongs to the family Oxyuridae, order Oxyuroidea, and the phylum Nematoda. Pin worms are classified as Enterobius vermicularis. Threadworms are also classified as Enterobius vermicularis. Pin worms are also called “seatworms” and they have several spellings, including “pinworm” and “pinworms.”

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.

It is estimated that more than 40 million people become infected with pinworms each year. While people of all ages can become infected with pinworms, children and teens (ages 5-14) make up the majority of new cases reported each year.