The reason for my asking the following question is a long story
involving far to much time surfing the web and theorizing with fellow
readers of science fiction.

That said, I want to know whether or not there are any known parasites
that can/will/do live in the human Uterus and/or vagina.

Things that I have found on my own were all of the fungi variety (thus
having something to do with candida infections). While the fungi are
interesting, I am mostly curious about things that are more bug or
worm-like and the physical affects they have on the host (as well as
the manner in which they are treated).

I have run across several sites that make mention of parasites being
able to (theoretically) live in any portion of the body, but the
intesitnal track seems to be the primary location of discussion.
Considering that the uterus is (to over simplify the description) an
open cavity in the human body, wouldn't it stand to reason that there
would be parasites there, just as there might be in the intestinal
tract (or the heart, or anywhere else)?

I'm curious about this being possible anywhere at all, under any
circumstances, in the world. I am also curious about how this sort of
parasitic infection is acquired.

All 'It doesn't happen in the industrialized world so why are you
asking?' responses will be ignored.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 22 May 2005 12:57 PDT

Pinworms (Enterobius vermicularis) can live in the reproductive tract
of human females:

"Pinworms can also be found in the vulva, uterus and fallopian tubes
because the female worm loses her way while trying to return to the
anus after depositing her eggs."

http://www.zhealthinfo.com/parasites.htm

"Enterobius vermicularis (Family: Oxyuridae) in humans, chimpanzees,
and baboons... occasionally ectopic migration of gravid females from
the anal region, especially in the human female. This can include
infections in the uterus and fallopian tubes, uterine granulomas,
invasion of the ovary and, rarely, worms in the peritoneum."

http://www.ksu.edu/parasitology/classes/625nematode22.html 

"Enterobius vermicularis is usually localised in the caecum, appendix
and proximal areas of the ileum and colon. A review of the literature
shows that the most frequent extra-intestinal localisation are the
fallopian tubes and ovary (10-20%), due to the close proximity of the
female reproductive organs to the perianal area. Female Enterobius
vermicularis are, infact, able to reach the uterus, inducing
salpingitis."

http://www.actaitalica.it/issues/2003/4_03/11.%20Gargano.pdf

I have not posted this as an answer because I am not certain that this
is the kind of information you need. Please let me know if the
material above is fully satisfactory; I'll be glad to repost it as
your official answer if it meets your needs completely. If not, it
would be very helpful if you could provide more details about exactly
what you're seeking.

---

Clarification of Question by curiousaboutit-ga on 22 May 2005 14:00 PDT

That is very much on the right track. If you could add one more
reference about how a person is tested/diagnosed for uterin-specific
infections, then it will be perfect! Thanks for the help!

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 22 May 2005 14:08 PDT

I did not come across any specific information about diagnosis of
uterine pinworms. Perhaps another Researcher will be able to help you.

---

Clarification of Question by curiousaboutit-ga on 22 May 2005 16:37 PDT

Wow - between the original answer and the comment, you guys have
perfectly answered my question. Thanks! I would be more then happy to
accept.

Thank you for accepting my findings as your official answer. I've
reposted the material below. As mentioned in the very helpful comment
by telnady-ga,there really isn't any specific diagnostic process that
would be applicable to a case of intrauterine pinworms. Most
helminthic parasites are diagnosed by visual means. Either the worms
themselves are observed, or their eggs are detected under a
microscope. Since this kind of parasitic infestation is not something
that gynecologists are typically looking for, it is likely to be a
secondary discovery that is made while tests for more common problems
are being run.

"Pinworms can also be found in the vulva, uterus and fallopian tubes
because the female worm loses her way while trying to return to the
anus after depositing her eggs."

Alternative Health Resources: Parasites
http://www.zhealthinfo.com/parasites.htm

"Enterobius vermicularis (Family: Oxyuridae) in humans, chimpanzees,
and baboons... occasionally ectopic migration of gravid females from
the anal region, especially in the human female. This can include
infections in the uterus and fallopian tubes, uterine granulomas,
invasion of the ovary and, rarely, worms in the peritoneum."

Kansas State University: ANIMAL PARASITOLOGY
http://www.ksu.edu/parasitology/classes/625nematode22.html 

"Enterobius vermicularis is usually localised in the caecum, appendix
and proximal areas of the ileum and colon. A review of the literature
shows that the most frequent extra-intestinal localisation are the
fallopian tubes and ovary (10-20%), due to the close proximity of the
female reproductive organs to the perianal area. Female Enterobius
vermicularis are, infact, able to reach the uterus, inducing
salpingitis."

ACTA: Chronic sialoadenitis caused by Enterobius vermicularis
http://www.actaitalica.it/issues/2003/4_03/11.%20Gargano.pdf

One more thing. During my searches, I came across a few references to
flukes in the uterus. However, these came from fringe-medicine sources
which are, in my opinion, NOT reliable. Please take this with a large
grain of salt:

"Endometriosis... starts with painful cramps at period times. They get
worse and worse until pain killers are necessary just to get out of
bed and move about the house. There are flukes in the uterus! Large
intestinal flukes in a rather small organ! Did they migrate to the
uterus from the intestine or did they develop there from eggs?

Sometimes sheep liver fluke is seen there. Once an avenue to the
uterus is established, numerous other parasites move in the same
direction: Clonorchis, the human liver fluke and even Eurytrema, the
pancreatic fluke, can invade the uterus wall."

Dr. Hulda Clark: Endometriosis
http://www.drhuldaclark.org/ailments_Endometriosis.asp

My Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: uterine OR uterus OR intrauterine parasite OR parasites
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=uterine+OR+uterus+OR+intrauterine+parasite+OR+parasites

Google Web Search: uterine OR uterus OR intrauterine pinworms OR enterobius
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=uterine+OR+uterus+OR+intrauterine+pinworms+OR+enterobius

I hope this is useful. I found it to be a very interesting (if yucky)
research project. Although I read quite few medical articles on a
regular basis, I had never heard of intrauterine

Best regards,
pinkfreud

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 22 May 2005 17:39 PDT

Oops. The last word of my closing sentence (after "intrauterine")
should have been "pinworms." In my haste to edit things into a logical
format, I didn't cut & paste the entire sentence.

~pinkfreud

I wasn't sure whether i was paying enough because I had no idea if the
answer to my question would be a simple 'no' OR something more
complete. When I set it up I found myself wishing for the option to
post 2 prices - one for the
there-is-no-possibile-way-and-weveryone-knows-it answer and one for
something more complete. Regardless, I am very happy with the results
and will use the service again.

curiousaboutit,

Worms and larger parasites are rarely "tested for" or "diagnosed" in
the traditional sense, as you would test for a bacteria, or virus for
instance.  The reason for this is that the most common and practical
tests used by health systems the world over, rely on the detection of
antibodies to the parasite in the blood, urine or other patient fluid.
 Antibodies are markers that the body generates in response to the
attack by the parasite, and require certain immune cells to engulf and
process the parasite in order for antibodies to be made.  In the case
of bacteria, viruses and most funghi, this is possible because the
parasites (or relevant parts of) are small enough to be engulfed by
the immune cells.  In the case of a worm, which is many times larger
than the immune cells, this is not possible and antibodies are hardly
ever generated.

The only way to test for worms would be to directly visualize them
under microscope.  Fortunately, some of them are present right there
on the skin and cause us to itch so the process of detection is
relatively simple: swipe the skin and look under the microscope.  In
other cases, such as intestinal parasites (incl. Enterobius) the
parasite or its ova can be visualized if you look at stool suspensions
under the microscope.

With a case like extra-intestinal Enterobius vermicularis that has
somehow infested the reproductive tract, it is even more complicated
as there is: 1. No easy access. 2. No likelihood of the parasite
emerging in a bodily secretion. and 3. Not enough prevalence to make
one search for an alternative to these methods.  I suppose if a doc
has strong reason to believe that whatever symptoms suggest such an
Enterobius infestation, they may try to do some sort of swabbing or
smearing of the cervix for instance but there is no literature on
that.

The literature we do have suggests that all the cases of reproductive
tract infestation by Enterobius were diagnosed either accidentally, or
after the fact (i.e. after an intervention that cured the symptoms) in
a biopsy or necropsy.  This happens frequently with even more
traditional diseases (for example: what particular strain of bacteria
has caused your abscess is rarely found out before the abscess is
actually drained).
 
For some further reading I suggest:

http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=1984;volume=30;issue=1;spage=51;epage=2;aulast=Shroff

Also follow the links to the other reports cited by the above link.

Having said all that, I encourage you to accept pinkfreud's answer to
your question as complete, as there is no real "diagnostic test" for
this specific case.

Thank you very much for the five-star rating and the nice tip!

~pinkfreud