Hookworms are small worms that burrow into the intestinal wall and consume blood. They infect around 800 million people worldwide and can cause iron deficiency anemia and protein malnutrition. To detect infection, the presence of eggs in feces must be examined.
Hookworms are small thread-like worms that burrow into the intestinal wall and consume blood. They are most commonly found in warm climates. There are a number of hookworm species that can infect mammals, including humans.
Of the many types of hookworms, the hookworms Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus most commonly infect humans. In fact, they currently infect around 800,000,000 people worldwide. The hookworms A. caninum and A. braziliense, which most commonly affect dogs and cats, respectively, are second in terms of frequency of infection in humans.
Hookworms average 39 inches (10 mm) long. When they mate, the female lays her eggs in the host. Although the number of eggs produced depends on the species, females can lay 10,000 to 25,000 eggs in one day. These eggs are then passed in the host’s feces.
Juvenile hookworm eggs hatch about two days after passing in fecal matter. Juvenile hookworms, called larvae, reach the infective stage in just five days. The larvae are capable of infecting a new host by penetrating the host’s skin. Once inside, they travel through the host’s body to settle in the small intestine. They stay there as they grow to sexual maturity.
After entering the body of a new host, hookworms travel through their host’s bloodstream to the lungs. Then they penetrate the pulmonary capillaries and enter the alveoli. The alveoli are thin sacs in the lungs where carbon dioxide and oxygen are exchanged. After entering the alveoli, the hookworms are expelled and ingested, traveling to the small intestine.
Hookworms have mouthparts with sharp plates. They attach to the small intestine using the mouthparts, penetrate blood vessels, and consume the host’s blood. When they infect humans, the result can be excessive blood loss. The infection is especially devastating for children.
Hookworm infection can cause not only depletion of blood but also permanent loss of iron and blood proteins. This creates iron deficiency anemia and protein malnutrition which can, in the most severe cases, be fatal. In children, it most often leads to severe growth and developmental delay. It can also lead to a physical weakness and listlessness that is often misidentified as laziness.
Although some hookworm species grow to maturity in humans, dog and cat species do not. Instead, they stay in the skin, continuing to migrate for weeks and even months at a time. Dog and cat hookworms eventually die in human hosts, but their migration and eventual death cause an inflammatory disease called cutaneous or dermal larval migrans. To cure this disease, the migrating larvae must be surgically removed.
To determine if a mammal has been infected with hookworms, the presence of eggs must be detected. The feces of the suspected host should be examined for eggs. However, the particular species of hookworm egg cannot be determined using this type of test.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
