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.
This article was published on Sunday 29 October, 2006.
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