“I found it in my stool/poop”, writes Shagufta in her submission regarding the long, pink worm pictured below. “The picture attached, in fact, [was taken] before [my] stool. What should I do?” Typically, we cannot respond to these types of submissions with much information regarding the identity of the worms, meaning those submissions which have to do with worms that come from people’s bodies. Given the potential health-related implications of finding an organism in one’s body, we are neither qualified or legally able to identify such an organism. Only a medical professional is. Of course, that is not really what Shagufta is asking: she asks what she should do. But, it is important that we note the second thing Shagufta writes in her submission; the photo was taken before she used the bathroom. This completely contradicts what she writes in the beginning, so we still want to tread with caution here.

“I have been having these weird things in my stool for a long time now”, writes this reader about the ovate, red objects pictured below. “They look like red sesame seeds but they are not something I ate. Do you know what they are or where I can send this picture for assistance? I have had several stool tests but no results!” To begin with, we have to say immediately that we will not be able to tell our reader what they are, and the reason for this is because of her medical concerns. In any situation where a reader has a medical concern, or believes that an organism is in any way affecting their health, we cannot involve ourselves so far as identifying the relevant organism. Since we are not medical professionals, we are neither qualified or legally able to do so, as identifying such organisms is tantamount to providing a diagnosis, which only a medical professional can do.

“I keep finding these black, thread-like worms in my bathtub”, states this reader about the multitude of minuscule worms pictured below next to the black insect. “And always in the poop of a dead ant or other dead bug that may have got in.”

“What is this?” asks this reader about the organism in the photograph below. Our reader states that he has been having diarrhea for two weeks and this, brow-green organism came out the day he sent in his submission.

“My daughter had this weird-looking object in her stool” says this reader about the long, thin piece of matter pictured below. Our reader states that the “odd shaped worm” has not moved, but is worrying them “to death”.

“I was told I have head lice” says this reader, who sends in multifarious images of organisms, her hair and what appear to be wounds on her skin. Our reader asks us for help, and states that she has “no insurance.”

“I found these dead worms in my 16-inch long bearded dragons stool today and I am baffled as to what they could be”, states this reader about the brown worms pictured below. “They’re approximately 1.5 inches long, all uniform in shape, size, color, and are all folded the same way upon death.”

“I have had these weird things in my stool for a long time now”, states this reader in the submission she sent us. “They look like red sesame seeds but they are definitely not something I ate.”

“Doctors won’t believe me here in the UK”, states this reader concerning the organisms that have been plaguing her for three years. She asks that we identify the organisms for her, and shares her story of her struggles with these creatures.

“I found this worm/larva in the toilet bowl on top of one of my bowel movements,” says this reader about the purplish, brown creature in the photo below. He has no idea if the creature came from him or if it was already in the toilet, and he asks if we can identify it for him.

After giving his five year old daughter a dose of albendazole (anti-worm medication), this reader from India wrote to us about the worms he discovered after his daughter used the toilet. The worms were found “wriggling around” inside the toilet together with his daughter’s stool, and appear to be, as described by our reader, “smooth and dark in color.”