Hookworms:
Necator/Ancylostoma
& Ancylostomiasis Information
Hookworms are parasitic roundworms
that can be transmitted through the skin. Hookworms are very common
in tropical and subtropical countries that do not have good sanitation
standards. There are many different species of hookworms, which
infect humans, Ancylostoma Duodenale, Necator Americanus, Ancylostoma
Caninum (dog hookworm), and the Ancylostoma Brazilience (cat hookworm).
The Ancylostoma Duodenale and Necator Americanus hookworms infect
an estimated 800,000,000 people. The hookworm infection is known
as Ancylostomiasis.
Hookworms extend their bodies into the air waving back and forth,
until they attach themselves to a host or until they retract into
the cool soil. People usually contract hookworm infections (Ancylostomiasis)
by walking barefoot in the dirt. Immediately after the hookworm
larvae gets beneath the skin, it may cause an allergic reaction
and begin to itch. Then the hookworm larvae enters the bloodstream
and travels to the lungs, then to the windpipe to be swallowed,
and finally to its ultimate destination, the intestine.
Some hookworms, like the cat hookworm, do not migrate to the intestines;
however, they can penetrate the skins surface and cause severe itching.
It is rare, but the dog hookworm can sometimes produce a severe
inflammatory reaction in the bowel. In the more severe infections
of Ancylostomiasis with a large number of parasitic hookworms a
person can develop anemia, as the hookworms suck blood and nutrients
from the intestine tissue.
