Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 3/15/2011

Question
We adopted a kitten 2 mos ago from the pound & she is now about 6 mos old.  She threw up a roundworm last night & I am very concerned b/c we have 3 children who have all handled her extensively, as well as my husband & myself, who is pregnant.  She is my 4 yr old's kitten, so I am most concerned about her.  I am going to the vet to pick up the appropriate medication for our kitten, but of course am most worried about my family & our risk of being infected by these worms.  Should I just call the pediatrician?  We also have an older cat, as well as a rescue puppy & a Great Pyrenees.  Thanks for any help you can offer.

Answer
It is not the worms themselves that you should be worried about.  It is the infective larvae that cause most of the human problems we see with roundworms.  Keep the litter pan clean, wear gloves, and prevent the kids from touching any fresh stools and you should not have too much to worry about.  Old stools contain roundworm eggs which can hatch out to become the infective larvae.