MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
November 22, 2009
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary
 Pinworm Test Main Article |  Glossary |  Pinworm Test Index 

Pinworm Test Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Pinworm Test article.

Anus: The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.
See the entire definition of Anus

Bowel: Another name for the intestine . The small bowel and the large bowel are the small intestine and large intestine , respectively.
See the entire definition of Bowel

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease ; the identification of an illness. 2 A conclusion or decision reached by diagnosis. The diagnosis is rabies . 3 The identification of any problem. The diagnosis was a plugged IV.
See the entire definition of Diagnosis

Female: The traditional definition of female was "an individual of the sex that bears young" or "that produces ova or eggs". However, things are not so simple today. Female can be defined by physical appearance, by chromosome constitution (see Female chromosome complement), or by gender identification. Female chromosome complement: The large majority of females have a 46, XX chromosome complement (46 chromosomes including two X chromosomes). A minority of females have other chromosome constitutions such as 45,X (45 chromosomes including only one X chromosome) and 47,XXX (47 chromosomes including three X chromosomes).

Health: As officially defined by the World Health Organization, a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Infection: The growth of a parasitic organism within the body. (A parasitic organism is one that lives on or in another organism and draws its nourishment therefrom.) A person with an infection has another organism (a "germ") growing within him, drawing its nourishment from the person.
See the entire definition of Infection

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects. The name microscope was coined by Johannes Faber (1574-1629) who in 1628 borrowed from the Greek to combined micro-, small with skopein, to view. Although the first microscopes were simple microscopes, most (if not all) optical microscopes today are compound microscopes.

Pinworm infection : An infection caused by a small, white intestinal worm: the pinworm or, more formally, Enterobius vermicularis. The pinworm is about the length of a staple and lives for the most part within the rectum of humans. While an infected person is asleep, female pinworms leave the intestines through the anus and deposit eggs on the skin around the anus. Because Enterobius vermicularis is a pinworm, pinworm infection is also called enterobiasis.
See the entire definition of Pinworm infection

Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until it leaves the body through the anus. The word rectum comes from the Latin rectus meaning straight (which the human rectum is not).

Skin: The skin is the body's outer covering. It protects us against heat and light, injury, and infection. It regulates body temperature and stores water, fat, and vitamin D. Weighing about 6 pounds, the skin is the body's largest organ. It is made up of two main layers; the outer epidermis and the inner dermis.


See the entire definition of Skin back to top
 Pinworm Test Main Article |  Glossary |  Pinworm Test Index 




Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • Anal Itching - Learn about the causes of anal itching like pinworms, diarrhea, psoriasis, anal fissure, hemorrhoids, skin tags, yeast infection, diabetes, and HIV.
  • Pinworm Infection - Learn about pinworms and pinworm infection, the most common worm infection in the U.S. Symptoms include intense anal itching, vaginal itching, irritability, and insomnia.

Latest Medical News


Parenting and Pregnancy

Get tips for baby and you.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain



Pinworm Test

What is pinworm infection?

Pinworm infection is a large intestine infection caused by a small, white worm called a pinworm, seatworm, or threadworm. The medical name for the pinworm is Enterobius vermicularis, also called a helminth.

The pinworm is about the length of a staple. It lives for the most part within the rectum of humans. While an infected person is asleep, female pinworms leave the intestines through the anus and deposit eggs on the skin around the anus.

Because pinworm infection is caused by Enterobius vermicularis, the infection is also called enterobiasis (or helminthiasis).

Who is at risk for pinworm infection?

Pinworm is the most common worm infection in the United States.

School-age children have the highest rates of pinworm infection. They are followed by preschoolers. Institutional settings including day care facilities, often harbor cases of pinworm infection. Sometimes, n...

Read the Pinworm Infection article »



Top 2
Pinworm Test Related Articles







Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.