Threadworm lifecycle
You can be infected with Threadworms no matter how clean or careful you are. Adults can be carrying eggs, even if they have no symptoms. Threadworms are passed on when someone swallows their eggs, and then they go through the following life cycle:
- Eggs are infective within a few hours of being deposited and may remain viable for up to 3 weeks.*
- Most infected children will harbour a succession of worms at different stages of development throughout their intestines.*
*Prociv P., Gastrointestinal Worm Infections, Australian Family Physician, 2001; 30(8): 755-761
How the threadworm lifecycle affects you
- Infection begins when threadworm eggs are swallowed.
- Larvae hatch in the intestine, then mature and mate.
- A few weeks after infection, female worms emerge at night to deposit eggs around the anus - this can cause itching & discomfort.
- Eggs are excreted in faeces or spread by contaminated hands to the external environment, where they are highly contagious & can survive for several days - especially in cool, humid areas such as bathrooms. The cycle then begins again. (point 4 links to point 1)
