Hookworm Disease
Hookworm disease is an infection caused by a parasite. Learn about how you get it, symptoms and treatment.
Causal Agents Intestinal hookworm disease in humans is caused by Ancylostoma duodenale, A. ceylanicum, and Necator americanus. Classically, A. duodenale and N. americanus were considered the two primary intestinal hookworm species worldwide, but newer studies show that a parasite infecting animals, A. ceylanicum, is also an important emerging parasite infecting humans in some regions ...
Hookworm disease
hookworm disease , parasitic infestation of humans, dogs, or cats caused by bloodsucking worms living in the small intestine —sometimes associated with secondary anemia. Several species of hookworms can cause the disease .
Human hookworm disease is a common helminth infection worldwide that is predominantly caused by the nematode parasites Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale; organisms that play a lesser role include Ancylostoma ceylanicum, Ancylostoma braziliense, and Ancylostoma caninum. Hookworm infection is acquired through skin exposure to larvae in soil contaminated by human feces. Soil becomes ...
Hookworm infection
Cause Ancylostoma braziliense mouthparts Hookworm infections in humans include ancylostomiasis and necatoriasis. Ancylostomiasis is caused by Ancylostoma duodenale, which is the more common type found in the Middle East, North Africa, India, and (formerly) in southern Europe.
Hookworm is closely associated with poverty because it is most often found in impoverished areas, and its symptoms promote poverty through the educational and health effects it has on children. [2] It is the leading cause of anemia and undernutrition in developing countries, while being one of the most commonly occurring diseases among poor people.
About Hookworm
Types Species The two main species of hookworm infecting people are Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. Hookworm , along with Ascaris and whipworm, are known as soil-transmitted helminths (parasitic worms) as they spread in contaminated soil.
Hookworm is an intestinal parasite that can cause malnourishment and anemia, especially in young children. It disproportionately impacts poorer areas.
Hookworm Infections
What causes hookworm infections? Parasitic hookworms cause these infections. The two major types of hookworms that cause infection are Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale.
Severe, chronic infections can cause loss of blood and anemia that is sometimes severe enough to cause fatigue and, in children, heart failure and widespread swelling. Doctors diagnose the infection by identifying hookworm eggs in a stool sample. The infection is treated with medications used to treat worm infections.