Infection is usually acquired when you walk barefoot on contaminated soil. The larvae penetrate the skin. Less commonly, larvae are transmitted by ingestion.
The pathogenic hookworms are Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. The infective form is the filariform (L3) larva.
After contacting a human host, the larvae:
Adult worms live in the lumen of the small intestine. They attach to the intestinal wall, causing blood loss in the host. In addition, infection with A. duodenale may also occur via oral and transmammary routes.
High-intensity hookworm infections occur in both school-age children and adults. Blood loss at the site where adult worms attach can cause anemia and protein deficiency. [What type of anemia will be caused in hookworm disease?].
In children with continuous heavy infection, ongoing iron and protein loss can retard growth and mental development.
Other clinical features include:
Diagnosis is made by demonstrating hookworm eggs in stool samples.
Hookworm egg in an unstained wet mount, taken at 400x magnification.
Filariform (L3) hookworm larva in a wet mount.
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