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.

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.

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.