Worms in Your Body

Worms that thrive on the human body....

Usually it’s our dogs, cats and horses that are prone to worm infections, but people are mammals too, and the human body is just a great a place as any for these little suckers to set up shop.

There are many types of worms we humans can secumb to. Here is a quick overview of the most common types of worms you may one day find crawling through your bodies delicious high-ways.

Pinworms

Pinworms are the most common type of worm found in the human body. Also known as seatworms, pinworms live inside the colon but exit to lay their eggs on the outside of the host’s body. The female worm lays her eggs during nighttime, causing the host to scratch, thus transporting the eggs to infect a new person, or reinfect the host.

Pinworm is the most prevalent parasite infection in the United States and Europe today. Pinworm is most commonly found in school-aged children, but it can occur in adults as well.

Roundworms

Another common type of worm that can make its home in the human body is the roundworm. Infected soil or fruits are the main method of transmission to humans. Unlike most other worms/

Roundworm eggs can find their way from the intestines to other organs where they can do major damage.

Tapeworms

Tapeworms are commonly found in cats and dogs, but can often make their home in humans as well. Common causes of infection included eating undercooked, infected fish.

Once inside the body the parasite feeds by attaching itself to the wall of the intestine where it lives off nutrients that the body absorbs.

Hookworms

Hookworms are a particularly nasty parasite that, according to Allergyyescape.com, actually has teeth. Infection can be caused by consuming compromised fruit or water, or by coming into contact with soil or water where the worms reside. According to OptumHealth, “the larvae will bore through the skin and ride through the lymph circulation to the right side of the heart.”

The larvae are then pumped into the lungs where they bore into the tiny air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs. Once these larvae are coughed up, they are swallowed and pass to the small intestine where they can reside for up 14 years.

Liver Flukes

Liver flukes make their home in the bodies liver where they begin to make holes. They can survive for decades.

There is a wide variety of methods of becoming infected by a liver fluke, including eating contaminated food, or drinking contaminated water.

Guinea Worm

Also known as dracunculiasis, the Guinea worm is a parasitic worm infection that occurs mainly in Africa. The Guinea worm is as thin as a paper clip and it can grow up to a staggering three feet long.

Once the larvae mature inside the human body, the Guinea worm exits the body through a painful blister in the skin. This can cause long-term suffering and oftentimes, crippling aftereffects.

Ringworm

Ring worm, or “Tinea” which means “growing worm” in Latin, is a fungal infection that can be found on the surface of the skin. Unlike other worms, Ring worm is caused by fungus that creates a ‘ring’ on the skin, hence the name.

Ring worm remains on the surface of the skin, hair or nails until treated and it does not invade other parts of the body, such as the insides or mucous membranes. Ring worm does, however, thrive in moist, warm conditions on the skin, such as the areas around the groin and between the toes. It is very easy to catch ring worm in places such as locker rooms, showers, and swimming pools.

Morgellons Worm

Morgellons worm, or Morgellons disease, is a misunderstood disease that, is rarely recognized as a parasitic affliction by members of the medical community. Many people believe that Morgellons is carried by microscopic parasitic worms called nematodes, which invade their host and contribute to the feeling of bugs (or worms) crawling on and under the skin.

Patients who are diagnosed with Morgellons disease report a host of general symptoms including itching skin lesions similar to pimples. They may fester on their own and are often reinforced by scratching or picking at the wounds. Fibers also erupt from the skin and at these points, black specks can also be detected. Many patients report that balled cocoon-like threads are produced from the sores or even unblemished skin. The infected host may also experience sensations such as bugs crawling under the skin, through the hair, and in the ears.

Loa Loa Worms

Loa Loa worms (also known as the “eye worm”) are classified as filarial worms, meaning they thrive in human tissue. The Loa Loa worm is also called the “eye worm” because they often migrate through the eye and surrounding subsurface areas.

The larvae are passed on by flies who have bitten an infected host. Once the fly bites the human, the larvar enters the body. Loa Loa worms can live approximately fifteen years inside their human hosts. They travel continuously through connective and deep tissue, often without the victim experiencing any sensation other than occasional itching.

When the worm slows or reaches a sensitive spot that a person will often feel the greatest discomfort. At this point, immune reactions may also include localized redness and a condition called “Calabar” swelling. Skin eruptions and muscle pain may be evident. When the Loa Loa worm reaches the eye tissue, it can be easily seen and felt within the eyeball for up to an hour. It is usually removed under local anesthesia if the patient is within proximity of a qualified physician. may remain unnoticed for months or years before becoming an adult, mating, and producing offspring.