Pinworm Treatment & Management

Author: Sun Huh, MD, PhD; Chief Editor: Burke A Cunha, MD more...

Updated: Jan 7, 2010

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Medical Care

Anthelmintics are active against E vermicularis.
Reinfection with E vermicularis immediately after the completion of drug therapy is common. Additionally, young pinworms may be resistant to drugs.
- Pinworm eggs remain infective in the environment for 2 weeks after deposition.
- Reinfection from other persons who test positive for eggs is common.
- Tests for pinworms carry a high false-negative rate. Therefore, successful eradication requires at least 3 doses of medication, separated by 3 weeks. In institutionalized settings, 3 doses separated by 3 weeks have been necessary to achieve successful eradication.
The recommended treatment regimen for pinworm infection is as follows:
- Simultaneously treat all family members and/or classmates who are infected.
- Prescribe drugs at least 3 times at 3-week intervals.
- Personal and group hygiene must be improved. Individuals must wash their hands before eating. Discourage children from activities such as finger-sucking.
If large numbers of children attending the same school test positive for pinworm eggs, the result of treatment is best if all classmates and family members of the children who are infected are treated 3 times at 3-week intervals. If less than 30% of class members test positive for pinworm eggs, treating only the children who have positive test results reduces the positive rate for eggs in that class.

Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Sun Huh, MD, PhD Chairman, Professor, Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Korea

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Sooung Lee, PhD Team Manager, Research and Development, Chuncheon Bioindustry Foundation, Chuncheon-do, Korea

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Mary D Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Mary D Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, Association of Professors of Medicine, Central Society for Clinical Research, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and Society of General Internal Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Gordon L Woods, MD Consulting Staff, Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center

Gordon L Woods, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Society of General Internal Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD Clinical and Research Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Burke A Cunha, MD Professor of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Chief, Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital

Burke A Cunha, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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Pinworm. Adult female worms of Enterobius vermicularis collected from a 2-year-old girl in a Korean orphanage after treatment with pyrantel pamoate 10 mg/kg, November 24, 1975.

Pinworm. Microscopic view of Enterobius vermiculariseggs attached to cellophane tape after a perianal swab from a child in kindergarten in Seoul, Korea, February 1999. Egg size was 50-60 μm X 20-30 μm. The eggs are elongated and ovoid, distinctly compressed laterally, and flattened on one side.

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