Humans can avoid hookworm infections by avoiding skin-to-soil contact, such as walking barefoot, in areas where hookworms are common. A high protein diet, supplemental iron, or a blood transfusion may also be necessary. Treatment in animals can be done with a variety of anthelminthics. In humans, treatment is by anthelminthic medications, such as albendazole and mebendazole. Treatment for hookworm infections depends on the species of hookworm and the species of the infected host. In animals, fecal floatation is used to detect hookworm eggs. ĭiagnosis for many forms of hookworm infections is confirmed through fecal analysis to identify hookworm eggs.
Hookworms in humans die skin#
Ĭattle may experience skin lesions, anemia, and rapid weight loss. Dogs may additionally experience anemia, hemorrhagic diarrhea, anorexia and dehydration. ĭogs and cats may experience dermatitis, enteritis, and intestinal blood loss. Children may have their physical and cognitive growth be affected. Humans with light infections may show no symptoms, but humans with heavy infections may have abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and anemia. In humans, the first sign of infection is itching and skin rash. Signs and symptoms of hookworm infection vary by host and hookworm species. Worms need five to seven weeks to reach maturity and symptoms of infection can therefore appear before eggs are to be found in the feces, making the diagnosis of hookworm infection difficult. The eggs of the two species are indistinguishable. duodenale between twenty-five and thirty thousand per day. americanus can lay between nine and ten thousand eggs per day, and A. The worms mate inside the host, in which the females also lay their eggs, to be passed out in the host's feces into the environment to start the cycle again. However, larvae can remain dormant in tissue stores and be recruited over many years to replace the worms that die. In comparison, Ancyclostoma duodenale worms are short-lived lasting for around six months. Some worms though have been recorded as living for fifteen years or more. Necator americanus can cause a prolonged infection lasting from one to five years with many worms dying in the first year or two.
It takes from five to nine weeks from penetration to maturity in the intestine. In the small intestine, the larvae moult into stage four (L4) the adult worm. They then travel up the trachea and are coughed up, swallowed and end up in the small intestine. Once the larvae have entered the host they travel in the circulatory system to the lungs where they leave the venules and enter the alveoli. A common route of passage for the larvae is the skin of barefoot walkers. americanus larvae can only infect through penetrating skin, but A. They are extremely motile and will move onto higher ground to improve their chances of finding a host. Filariform larvae can survive for up to two weeks. After feeding for seven days or so they will moult into third stage larvae (元) known as the filariform stage, which is the non-feeding, infective stage. First and second stage larvae are in the rhabditiform stage. Necator larvae can survive at higher temperatures than Ancylostoma larvae.įirst stage larvae (L1) are non-infective, and once hatched in the deposited feces, they feed on that, and then feed on soil microorganisms until they moult into second stage larvae (L2). They will die if exposed to direct sunlight or if they become dried out. Hookworm larvae need warm, moist soil, above 18 ☌, in order to hatch. The host is infected by the larvae, not by the eggs, and the usual route is through the skin. Also, the hook is much more defined in Necator americanus.
americanus has a pair of cutting plates in the buccal capsule.
duodenale, with males usually being 5 to 9 mm long and females about 10 mm long. Males also have a prominent copulatory bursa posteriorly. Males measure approximately 10 by 0.5 mm, and females are often longer and stouter. They have well-developed mouths with two pairs of teeth. The hook is at the front end of the body. The head is bent a little in relation to the rest of the body, forming a hook shape – hence the name. duodenale worms are pale grey or slightly pink. The two species that commonly infect humans have a similar morphology. Īt least 68 species have been described in wild mammals. Ĭattle are infected by Bunostomum phlebotomum. In Asia Ancylostoma ceylanicum is endemic among dogs and cats and infects humans. Wild cats are infected by Ancylostoma pluridentatum.ĭogs are commonly infected by Ancylostoma caninum, but may also be infected by Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma braziliense. Hookworm species that are known to infect domestic cats are Ancylostoma braziliense and Ancylostoma tubaeforme. The two most common types of hookworm that infect humans are Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.