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onenita's avatar

White egg like specks on infant's bottom, not shaped like pinworms.

Asked by onenita (16points) December 30th, 2011

momoftwins81 asked the below question in may 2011 and i have the same question for my 7 month old baby boy (the question was never able to be answered it appears, so i am re-asking it to see if anyone can provide some info presently):
My two year old toddler has white egg like specks on anus… about the size of a large flake of black pepper. They are perfectly round and pinworm medicine is not getting rid of them. I know it’s not her diaper flaking off because I can tell the consistency of the diaper gel vs the opaque round dots. We picked up a poop smear kit to collect a sample to be tested at the lab and I will try & collect it today but I am so scared for my little tot & was wondering if anyone has seen this before. They say pinworm eggs are not seen by the naked eye, only under a microscope… anyone else come across this? :(

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6 Answers

WestRiverrat's avatar

Collect a sample and take it in to your pediatrician. If it is something other than pinworm, they can change the medication to better target the parasite once it is identified.

stemnyjones's avatar

I agree to take a sample to the pediatrician asap. I wouldn’t mess around with parasites in a baby that young.

It could possibly be tapeworm as well, in which case the specks would be tapeworm segments that had broken off.

jca's avatar

Have her checked by a doctor before administering medication that might not be the correct one to administer.

Please post an update if you wish as to the outcome.

Thanks.
JCA
The Update Lady

cazzie's avatar

Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Is she in some distress? Not pooping? Losing weight? Not eating? Itching at her bottom and making sores? Generally, parasites cause health problems that are visible before we see signs of ‘eggs’ or the like. There is hookworm, roundworm, giardia, whipworm…. Does she have diarrhea, abdominal pain?

Baby’s bottoms move around a great deal. The stuff that flakes off diapers and clothing can become something quite different looking after getting the buttocks-treatment by a 2 year old. Try to use a diaper less, or switch to cloth for a while and see if that helps.

Have you tried a barrier cream like some zinc creams? If she isn’t in any distress, but these things collecting are bothering you and the baby, try bathing her twice a day instead of one.

Absolutely follow up with your child’s doctor. I don’t know where you have travelled to lately or where you live. These things can be transmitted easily in some areas of the world.

If you baby is showing signs of distress, get to a doctor asap. Dehydration, fever, no interest in food are all pretty serious problems with young children.

onenita's avatar

Thank you everyone for your help.

My son tested negative for pinworms and the worms are 2 inches long, also ruling out pinworms/threadworms.

He has been on meds for days now. The stool test results don’t come in until next week. In the meantime, I am trying to figure out what kind of worm this is. The on-call pediatrician is baffled.

It is 2 inches, thin as a strand of hair, white, and it is the same thinness from top to bottom. Each time we have found one it has been when we changed his overnight diaper, and we also see egg like specks that we never saw before the worms.

stemnyjones's avatar

I did a quick google search, and it seems that the females of this worm are 2 inches long. Perhaps suggest this possibility to your pediatrician?

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