Can my kids get pinworms from our dog or cat?
Pinworms are not transmitted from animals to humans. While it is true that other species of animals can have pinworms, they are not transmitted to people.
However, there are other species of worms that have zoonotic potential and can cause disease in humans. Various forms of larva migrans are caused by Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, the roundworms of dogs and cats. Infected animals can contaminate the soil and then humans coming in contact with the soil can ingest the eggs accidentally.
Some statistics show that almost a third of US parks are contaminated with roundworm eggs. Making sure kids and adults alike follow good hygiene protocols and washing garden vegetables before consumption are good practices for prevention . Additionally keeping pets on a good parasite control program can reduce local contamination.
