Hookworm Disease

Overview

Hookworm infection is mainly acquired by walking barefoot on contaminated soil. One kind of hookworm can also be transmitted through the ingestion of larvae. Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms. Some have gastrointestinal symptoms, especially persons who are infected for the first time.

What are the symptoms of hookworm disease?

Many people infected with hookworm disease have no symptoms. Those who do have symptoms may experience mild ones at first. Symptoms progress as the infection gets more severe.

Possible symptoms include :

1.Skin rash on the feet where the larvae entered the body.

2.Fever.

3.Coughing or wheezing.

4.Abdominal pain.

5.Loss of appetite.

6.Diarrhea.

7.Weight loss.

8.Anemia.

How is hookworm disease treated?

If tests show that you have hookworm disease, your provider will prescribe medications that treat the infection. In most cases, you’ll take an anthelmintic medication (medication used to destroy parasitic worms) orally (by mouth) for one to seven days.

Your provider may prescribe these medicines to get rid of parasitic worms:

Mebendazole

Albendazole

Your provider may also prescribe iron supplements to treat anemia caused by hookworm disease.

How common is hookworm disease?

Hookworm disease is widespread in many parts of the world. As many as 740 million people worldwide have hookworm disease.

Who is at risk for hookworm disease?

Hookworm disease affects children and adults. It is most common in warm, humid and tropical locations. It’s especially common in places lacking indoor sanitation.

Is hookworm contagious?

Yes. You can get hookworm by coming in contact with stool from an infected person. Hookworm infections also spread through contact with infected soil.

Can you get hookworm disease from your pets or other animals?

Hookworm infections in dogs, cats and other animals typically come from a different species than the one that infects humans. Animal hookworms can sometimes penetrate a person’s skin, but they don’t mature or lay eggs inside a human host.

Animal hookworms can cause a rash as they move under the skin. This itchy rash, called cutaneous larva migrans, shows up as a thin, raised red line that spreads across the skin.

What causes hookworm disease?

Hookworm larvae pass in the feces (poop) of someone already infected with hookworm disease. If a person with hookworm disease poops outdoors, the larvae enter the soil. Using human feces as fertilizer can also contaminate the soil.

If you walk barefoot on infected soil, the larvae can enter your body through the skin on your feet.

What are the complications of hookworm disease?

Hookworms feed on blood in your intestines. An untreated, severe infection results in blood loss. Blood loss can lead to anemia and protein deficiency. Severe anemia can cause dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Children infected with hookworms over long periods of time can suffer severe effects from lack of iron and protein. This can slow both their physical and mental development.

How is hookworm disease diagnosed?

If you have symptoms of hookworm disease, your healthcare provider will test a sample of your poop. They analyze the stool sample under a microscope to look for hookworm eggs.

If you have recently traveled to an area where hookworm is common, your provider may recommend blood tests. A complete blood count can show eosinophilia (higher than normal white blood cell count). This sign of hookworm disease can show up weeks before eggs are present in your stool.

How can I prevent hookworm disease?

You should avoid walking barefoot in places where the soil or sand may be infected. In these areas, don’t touch the ground with your bare hands. Sit on a tarp or other barrier instead of sitting on the bare earth.

Take these precautions in regions where people:

1.Go to the bathroom outdoors.

2.Fertilize gardens or farmland with human feces.

Hookworm life cycle

Most adult worms are eliminated in 1 to 2 years, but the longevity may reach several years. Some A. duodenale larvae, following penetration of the host skin, can become dormant (hypobiosis in the intestine or muscle). These larvae are capable of re-activating and establishing patent, intestinal infections.

What are the 3 stages of hookworm infection?

Discovery. Hookworms are large, multicellular organisms which infect their host as an immature larva by penetrating the skin. They then migrate via the bloodstream to the lungs, break through the alveoli and migrate up the trachea to be swallowed, finally residing in the small intestine as adult worms.

How do you get rid of hookworms?

Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment of hookworm infections. Infections are generally treated for 1-3 days. The recommended medications are effective and appear to have few side effects.

How is hookworm spread?

If an infected person poops outside or their poop is spread outside later, those hookworm eggs end up in the soil. When the eggs hatch, they release young hookworms, or larvae. If you walk barefoot over this soil, the young worms can enter your body through the skin on your feet and cause an infection.

What are the two most common species of hookworm?

Classically, A. 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.