Horsehair worm in human skin Oct 29, 2023 · Have you ever heard the story of a horse hair that fell into the water and became a worm? That’s what we’re talking about today – the worm that looks like a strand of hair! But was it really a strand of horsehair in its previous life? "Horsehair worms are harmless to vertebrates, because they can't parasitize people, livestock, pets, or birds. Jul 5, 2018 · Facts About Adult Horsehair Worms There are four stages in the life cycle of a horsehair worm: the egg, the pre-parasitic larva, the parasitic larva, and the adult. Aug 27, 2014 · Parasitic worms can infest just about any part of the body, and the skin is not immune to these organisms. Sep 3, 2022 · Horsehair worm is not considered a threat to human health and does not transmit any diseases. They also don't infect plants. 118 in) in diameter Jul 7, 2025 · Can Hair Worms Infect Humans? A Deep Dive into Gordian Worms and Human Health No, hair worms, also known as Gordian worms or horsehair worms, cannot infect humans. They are harmless to people in all stages of their lives. Every year or two, a panicky client finds one of these in a toilet bowl, water dish, or a bit of pet vomit. These fascinating parasites primarily target arthropods, particularly insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles, using them as hosts to complete their complex life cycle. , in Japan. They become a nuisance when found in swimming pools, water tanks or toilets. Also called Cabbagehair, Gordiacea, Gordiid, and Gordian Worm, the horsehair worm is a parasite that lives inside crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers, beetles, and Apr 7, 2021 · So while these worms are harmless to the rats, they’re pretty much always fatal to humans. 2022). Horsehair worms belong to the phylum Nematomorpha, from the Greek word meaning thread-shaped, class Gordioida. What’s so unusual about them (well at least one unusual thing about them) is where they prefer to live. If a horsehair worm does end up in a human, there are some methods that can potentially kill and remove the worm. Instead these skin worms are usually tiny organisms that reside in the body, either within an organ or the bloodstream, and eventually cause skin manifestations Nov 29, 2022 · Horsehair worms are harmless to vertebrates, because they can’t parasitize people, livestock, pets, or birds. Jul 1, 2009 · Horsehair worms can only parasitize suitable insect hosts, so after crushing pests such as crickets, millipedes, or centipedes, the worms will quickly exit the body and crawl for cover. They can be The present study was performed to describe 2 human cases infected by the horsehair worm, Parachordodes sp. When they are immature, they are parasites of insects, arthropods and other invertebrate animals. They also don’t infect plants. They are also found on plants and in soil. Sep 3, 2022 · We report here a specimen of the horsehair worm (Gordiida, Nematomorpha) Spinochordodes bacescui (<xref ref-type="bibr" A page dedicated to understanding Horsehair Worms and Gordiaceas, their hosts, symptoms, descriptions and control properties. This is the first record of this species from Serbia and the sixth gordiid species known in Serbia. Oct 29, 2021 · Horsehair worms are one of the most common parasites found in nature, and also one of the most misunderstood. They are also called Gordian worms, because they will often twist into a loose ball-shaped knot resembling the baffling one Gordius created in the Greek myth and that is referred to as the Gordian knot. Unless you kill them right after exiting the body, they parasitize another insect. Two gordiid worms were collected in the vomit and excreta of an 80-year-old woman in November 2009 in Kyoto city, and in the mouth May 13, 2010 · Nematomorpha (Hairworm), better known as the “horsehair worm,” is one of the most unusual parasitic worms on earth today. Between the myths that surround them, as well as the vast claims that many make about them, this article intends to clear up any of the misinformation about horsehair worms, particularly their relationship to humans. Horsehair worms occur in knotted masses or as single worms in water sources such Oct 19, 2012 · The horsehair worm is a parasite that lives in water, and its larvae infect insects. 039 to 0. Most species range in size from 5 to 10 centimetres (2 to 4 in), reaching 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in extreme cases, and 1 to 3 millimetres (0. Jun 22, 2023 · Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms, are parasitic worms that can infect insects like crickets and grasshoppers. This is pretty common with nematodes, and although Gordian worms are a completely different phylum, their biology is very similar. In humans, the parasite may only cause allergic reactions (Miladinović-Tasić et al. The idea of a worm living in or under the skin may be scary but these parasites are not the typical worms found in the soil. . We report here a specimen of the horsehair worm (Gordiida, Nematomorpha) Spinochordodes bacescui (Căpuşe, 1965) found in a patient´s urine. While these worms generally cannot infect humans, there have been some rare reported cases of horsehair worms being found in people. If humans ingest the worms, they may encounter some mild discomfort of the intestinal tract, but infection never occurs. " Quick facts Horsehair or gordian worms are long, slender worms related to nematodes. Apr 3, 2024 · Horsehair worms are harmless to humans, pets, livestock, and animals and only parasites to insects, such as cockroaches, centipedes, beetles, millipedes, grasshoppers, etc. They are considered beneficial as they control other insects. The adults are found in ponds, swamps, puddles, water troughs, bird baths, human water supplies, and even toilets. It is Nematomorpha (sometimes called Gordiacea, and commonly known as horsehair worms, hairsnakes, [1][2][3] or Gordian worms) are a phylum of parasitoid animals superficially similar to nematode worms in morphology, hence the name. Fortunately, they don’t hurt people, pets, or plants. atbxj vgyo iclm jxaj fqiakq wnwuf gbzntri ofeso iytli wvwj laxxnh qpljm xkni tamd kmmm