A study on the occurrence of pinworms in the hindgut of Periplaneta americana

American cockroach, Periplaneta americana harbours pinworms in their gut. In the present study, 88 host cockroaches were dissected and the number of adult females of each pinworm species was recorded from Barasat, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Three species of Oxyurid nematodes were found: Hammerschmidtiella diesingi (Hammerschmidt, Helminthologische Beiträge. Isis (oken), Leipz 5:351–358, 1838), Leidynema appendiculatum (Leidy in Proc Acad Natl Sci Phila 5:100–102, 1850) and Thelastoma sp. (Leidy in Proc Nat Acad Sci Phila 4:30, 1849). At a time two nematode infections (double infection) were also found. H. diesingi and L. appendiculatum mixed infection being more common than H. diesingi and Thelastoma sp. infection. Ed the H. diesingi shown highest prevalence (40.90%) and abundance pattern (1.227). It was the dominant species in most cases. Lowest prevalence (7.95%) and abundance pattern (0.272) was found in Thelastoma sp. Thelastoma sp. has the highest mean density (3.428) followed by Hammerschmidtiella diesingi (3) and Leidynema appendiculatum (2.368). Three species were never found in the same host. This study suggests that host sex had no noticeable impact on the occurrence of pinworms.