Thin Orange Worm on Toilet Paper

We heard from a reader (via our Facebook page) who found something interesting on his toilet paper roll. The accompanying photo features a very thin orange thing that might be a worm. It has rough edges, and the head and tail end both look very similar.

Our reader didn’t say how he discovered the creature… Did he wipe himself and then see it? Was it just on the toilet paper before he used it? We aren’t sure, but we have two ideas about the identification of this creature.

Our first thought is that this is a horsehair worm. These worms vary in length, but they can grow to be quite long. Although harmless to humans, these worms are parasitic to insects. They live in a host until they sense they are near water and then they eject themselves. This explains why readers often find horsehair worms in their bathrooms, either in the toilet bowl or bathtub, where there might be an abundance of water.

Our other idea is that our reader might have excreted this worm, and that it is a parasitic roundworm, likely a pinworm or threadworm based off the photo. If our reader is suffering from a parasite, he is likely experiencing other symptoms, but he didn’t mention any health concerns in his post. If he believes this might be the case, he should get in contact with a doctor immediately!

To sum up, a reader discovered a thin orange worm on toilet paper. We believe that this is probably a horsehair worm, but that it might also be a parasitic worm.