You know, If a child has the eggs on their fingers and then, believe it or not, they scratch the inside of their ear, you can develop threadworm in your ear. There are reported case reports, lots of them.
From the infection
Occasionally worms are found in the female genital organs. More rarely, they are found in the ears and nose.
In such cases, you should seek further advice from your GP. In very rare cases, threadworms can spread outside the intestine to the urinary tract or liver, or the vagina or womb in girls or women.
A rare case of enterobius vermicularis pin-worm is reported in the nose. An 11-year-old girl presented with the vague symptoms of crawling sensation in the nose for few weeks, who had received treatment for allergic rhinitis.
Children can get threadworms again after they've been treated for them if they get the eggs in their mouth. This is why it's important to encourage children to wash their hands regularly.
This infection occurs after a person swallows tapeworm eggs. The larvae get into tissues such as muscle and brain, and form cysts there (these are called cysticerci).
Threadworms usually produce no symptoms except an itchy bottom. In fact, people may harbour them for years without realising it.
Ear mites are a type of mite that lives in the ear canal. These tiny parasites feed off skin oils and ear wax, which explains why they take up residence in the ear.
If you have loiasis, you may have itchy, non-painful swellings of the body that come and go. The swellings can show up anywhere though they are more common near joints. You may develop an eye worm that crawls across the surface of your eye. Sometimes you may see a worm that crawls under your skin.
When you scratch, eggs get on to your fingers and under your nails. You may then swallow some eggs if you put a finger into your mouth. Also, threadworm eggs can survive for up to two weeks outside the body. They fall off the skin around the anus and can fall on to bedding, clothes, etc.
Are threadworms harmful? Not usually. The worst thing about them is the itch and discomfort around the anus. This sometimes wakes children from sleep.
"Changing and washing bedding can help to remove threadworm eggs within the linen," agrees Dr Luke Powles, clinical director at Bupa UK. "However, be careful when removing the sheets as shaking bedding around may cause the eggs to land on other surfaces and spread infection."
Threadworm begins with an itchy feeling around the anus (back passage), usually at night under warm sheets. Without treatment, threadworm may give rise to vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina) in girls and women. You can often see threadworms, a 1cm thread-like worm, wriggling in your child's stools or their bottom.
In most cases, a bug entering your ear is harmless. However, if a bug enters your ear and is not removed, an infection could occur. Symptoms of an ear infection include ear pain and drainage. A bug in your ear could also lead to a ruptured eardrum, a part of the ear also known as your tympanic membrane .
The parasites are quite mobile and their clinical signs and symptoms always appear suddenly. The main symptoms are a foreign-body sensation and itching in the throat, followed by cough and other respiratory and nasal manifestations such as nasal discharge, sneezing, laryngospasm, dyspnoea and stridor.
To remove threadworm eggs and prevent re-infection: Change and wash underwear, nightwear and, if possible bed linen and towels, every day for a few days. A hot water wash, or the heat of an iron, will kill the eggs.
It moves. If it doesn't wiggle, it's probably lint or a thread. The worm may be seen around the anus or on the child's bottom. It is especially active at night or early morning.
What do dog ear mites look like? Ear mites in dogs typically look like tiny, moving dots in the ear canal, but are so tiny that you may not be able to spot them at all. It takes a vet with an otoscope or microscope to properly spot an infestation.
The most common causes of itching are a nervous habit, fungal infection or the beginning of an infection. Other causes can be skin diseases such as psoriasis or dermatitis. Some people with allergies complain of Itchy ears. The ear canal may be normal on examination or there may be scaling of the skin.
“There are many topical, oral, and systemic agents,” Dr. Miller notes, “and most—such as ivermectin—are highly effective. Even one old-time remedy—baby oil—can do the job. A few drops put into an affected ear several times a day for a month or so will usually smother the mites.”
Some people have no symptoms. If they occur, the main symptom is itching around the anus that can disturb sleep. This occurs 1–2 months after the pinworms enter the body, during the maturing and reproduction stage.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), threadworm infection can affect anyone but is mainly found in children under the age of 18, along with people living with infected children and those living in institutions.
Clean the home post-treatment
Worm eggs can survive for several days on external surfaces, but you can play your part in preventing a reinfestation by doing the following: Wash all the bedsheets and linen that family members have been sleeping on with hot water, to kill any remaining eggs.