Pinworms
Howard Sonnenblick MD1
1 Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Editors: Henry M. Adam, MD.
Enterobius vermicularis, more commonly known as pinworm, is the most common intestinal nematode in the United States, affecting 5% to 15% of the population. Although infection may appear in all age groups and socioeconomic levels, it is most prevalent in preschool and school-age children.
Typically, embryonated eggs are ingested and migrate to the duodenum where they hatch and undergo sexual maturation before reaching the cecum. Adult pinworms reside in the cecum, emerge at night through the anus, and migrate to the perianal region where gravid females deposit their eggs and die. The eggs cause anal pruritis, which leads to scratching and accumulation under the fingernails, thereby promoting auto-infection and spread to close contacts.
