Knowra Hookworm infection Hookworm infection Hookworm infection is an intestinal parasitic disease caused mainly by Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale . The worms attach to the small intestine and feed on blood, sometimes causing iron-deficiency anemia.
Necator americanus : A species of hookworm that infects humans, usually entering through skin and maturing in the small intestine. It is one of the two principal human hookworm species and commonly causes infection through skin contact.
Stool ova and parasite test : A laboratory examination of stool for parasite eggs, larvae, or other evidence of intestinal parasitic infection. Hookworm eggs shed in stool can establish the diagnosis, though species identification may require further testing.
Hookworm : A parasitic nematode whose adults attach to the intestines of humans or other animals and feed on blood or tissue. The disease is named for these worms, whose mouthparts anchor them to the intestinal lining.
Iron : An essential mineral required for hemoglobin, oxygen transport, and numerous cellular processes. Intestinal blood loss can exhaust iron stores, especially in people with repeated or heavy infection.
Ancylostoma duodenale : A human hookworm species that can enter through skin or be acquired by ingestion and attach to the small intestine. Its ability to infect by ingestion distinguishes one route of transmission from the usual skin penetration.
Benzimidazole : A chemical class that includes antiparasitic drugs such as albendazole and mebendazole. The main medicines used against hookworms belong to this drug class.
Nematoda : A diverse phylum of unsegmented roundworms that includes free-living species and many animal and plant parasites. Human hookworms are parasitic roundworms within this phylum.
Child growth and development : The physical and cognitive changes that occur as children mature from infancy through adolescence. Chronic hookworm-related anemia and undernutrition can impair children’s growth and development.
Hookworm life cycle : The developmental sequence in which hookworm eggs hatch in soil, larvae infect a host, and adults reproduce in the intestine. It connects environmental contamination, larval entry, intestinal maturation, and egg shedding.
Albendazole : An antiparasitic medicine that disrupts microtubule formation in susceptible worms and is used to treat hookworm infection. It is a commonly used treatment that clears adult worms from the intestine.
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