What Do Round Worms Look Like?

Roundworms are parasitic organisms that infect animals and humans alike throughout the world. Although roundworms vary in thickness and length, depending on what species they are, they infect their hosts in the same fashion and can be prevented with good personal hygiene.

  1. Size

    • Possessing thin, round bodies similar to those of earthworms, roundworms vary in size from microscopic (can only be seen with a microscope) to being more than a foot long, in the case of Ascaris lumbricoides, a roundworm that causes more than 1 billion human roundworm infections each year.

    Body Systems

    • According to Monroe County Women's Disability Network, roundworms have no heart, skeleton or respiratory system. Roundworms possess a simple digestive system and reproduce sexually.

    Types

    • Species of roundworms that infect humans include pinworms, Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms and whipworms; animal roundworms include Toxocara canis (infects dogs) and Toxocara cati (infects cats).

    Life Cycle

    • During a typical roundworm life Cycle, the worm infects the host in the form of eggs--usually ingested in contaminated food or water--then travels through the host's body, changing from an egg to a larva to an adult. An adult roundworm lays eggs in the host's intestines, which then leave the body through waste and eventually infect other hosts.

    Diagnosis

    • If your doctor suspects that you have a roundworm infection, he will collect a stool sample and examine it for roundworm eggs. The type and prevalence of roundworm egg in your stool will tell your doctor about the species of roundworm infecting you, as well as the severity of your infection.