Human Hookworm
Ancylostoma Duodenale and Necator Americanus
An estimated 65,000 deaths annually
WANTED
The most serious effects of hookworm infection are blood loss leading to anemia, in addition to protein loss. Hookworm infections are treatable with medication prescribed by your health care provider.
Small intestine and Lungs
An estimated 576-740 million people
An itchy rash, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, and eventually iron deficiency anemia
Hookworm, any of several parasitic worms of the genera Necator and Ancylostoma belonging to the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes) that infest the intestines of humans, dogs, and cats.
The hookworm is a type of roundworm transmitted through feces and contaminated soil. The most common way to make contact with this type of roundworm is to walk barefoot on soil that contains hookworm larvae. The larvae can pierce the skin.
https://www.healthline.com/health/worms-in-humans#:~:text=The%20hookworm%20is%20a%20type,larvae%20can%20pierce%20the%20skin.
https://www.britannica.com/animal/hookworm
Hookworm species have a worldwide distribution, mostly in areas with moist, warm climates where larvae can survive in the environment. Both Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale are found in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
A parasite is an organism that needs to live on or inside another organism (animal or human). The parasite relies on its host (the creature it lives in or on) to survive. Hookworms are parasites that live inside the intestines. There, they feed on blood from the intestinal wall, mature and lay eggs.
https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/hookworm/index.html#:~:text=Hookworm%20species%20have%20a%20worldwide,Asia%2C%20Australia%20and%20the%20Americas.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14072-hookworm-disease
Itching and a localized rash are often the first signs of infection. These symptoms occur when the larvae penetrate the skin.
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. Occasionally larvae of A.
Humans are the definitive host, and no intermediate host is required for completion of the life cycle of these parasites. Persons living in endemic regions who walk barefoot on soil contaminated with human feces are at high risk of acquiring infection.
https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/hookworm/index.html#:~:text=duodenale%20and%20N.,Occasionally%20larvae%20of%20A.
https://www.visualdx.com/visualdx/diagnosis/hookworm+infection?diagnosisId=51718&moduleId=101#:~:text=Humans%20are%20the%20definitive%20host,high%20risk%20of%20acquiring%20infection.